


Wildling Queen In The North

by roseleslie87fan



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2020-10-06 11:43:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 26
Words: 24,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20506424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roseleslie87fan/pseuds/roseleslie87fan
Summary: This story borrows the names of characters, locations and events depicted in the TV series 'Game of Thrones' (HBO) that was based on the book series 'A Song Of Ice And Fire' by George R. R. Martin, but I write for a hobby and for entertainment purposes only, not for profit, and there is no copyright infringement intended. All names, locations, etc. belong to HBO and George R. R. Martin, I own nothing except this story.





	1. Prologue: Reunited

**Author's Note:**

> Description: Ygritte survives the Battle for Castle Black, and she is put under Jon Snow's protection with a story he made up that she was the only one who trusted him while he spent his time undercover with the Free Folk...

\- Aaaarrgghh! - Jon grabbed the hammer from where it lay by the anvil and he rammed it into Styr's skull with a loud cry; the Magnar of the Thenns fell on the ground, dead. Jon leaned with his back against a wooden pole that held the roof of the smithy. After catching his breath for a few moments, he wanted to go to retrieve his sword, but an unmistakable sound of the bowstring being pulled made him halt; Ygritte leaned on her right knee, her arrow ready; Jon smiled... She was across from him, as beautiful as he remembered her, if not more. They looked at each other for a few moments, and then... - Uh! - she yelped; an arrow was sticking from her chest, a few inches above where her heart was. Jon ran over to her, immediately, catching her in his arms... - Jon Snow - she whispered. - Hush, don't talk - he begged her. - Do you remember that cave? - she asked, and he nodded. - We should have stayed in that cave - she replied. - We'll go back there - Jon said, on the verge of tears. - You know nothing, Jon Snow - she said. Jon got up from the ground, holding her in his arms, and he ran off towards the Maester's chambers. - Maester Aemon! - Jon ran inside, out of breath. - What is it, Jon Snow? - old Maester asked him gently. - I have here a casualty of the battle, a Wildling girl that cared for my welfare during the time I was with the Free Folk - Jon replied. - I see - Maester Aemon said - help me lay her down on the table. - Jon helped the Maester, and then he was asked to leave. - Now, let's see if there is something that can be done for you, my dear - he spoke gently, and he moved his fingers carefully before he felt the arrow, and he broke it in the middle with the little strength he still had at his age. - Aaaah! - Ygritte yelled in pain, but the Maester held her gently, and he grabbed a cup with milk of the poppy and brought it closer to her lips. - Here, drink this - he told her gently - it will ease the pain and help you fall asleep. - Ygritte did as the old Maester instructed her and drank it all down to the last drop. - I wish you good night... - the Maester paused, not knowing her name. - Ygritte - she replied. - Get some rest, Ygritte - Maester Aemon said and left, as he was also ready to go to sleep.


	2. Attack On Hardhome

The following few weeks were pretty dull for the surviving Free Folk members, some of them were still in the ice cells, but Ygritte, Tormund and a couple of others were forced to work as a punishment for their failed attempt of conquering the Castle Black. Ygritte, in particular, felt like a slave, not only were her wrists shackled, but she also had shackles around her ankles as well, and to make it worse, the black brothers of the Night's Watch tasked her with cleaning the stables, and smell that was inside always made her stomach gag with how unbearable it was everyday. She envied Tormund, who was tasked with making swords, axes, spears and arrows for the Crows in the smithy, because Donal Noye, a blacksmith of the Watch, was killed during the Free Folk attack on Castle Black; Ygritte wished that it was her who was at the smithy, instead of here, let one of the two others of the surviving Free Folk attackers shovel in the stables, she thought... At night, she would be locked in the bedchambers right below those of the Lord Commander, whose quarters were unoccupied at the moment, since the death of the old Commander Jeor Mormont, the Old Bear, as she heard the Crows calling him on a few occassions... They gave her a meager portion of oatmeal to eat, not enough to make her fill full, but Ygritte doubted that after a whole day in the stinking stables she would have had any appetite at all. One evening, a few weeks later, a portly young Crow appeared at the door of her cell. - A-are you Ygritte? - he asked a bit timidly. - Aye - she replied - an' who wants t' know? - I-I... My name is Samwell Tarly - he answered - I am Jon's friend. He... he sent me to check upon you to see if you are all right - Sam said. - Did 'e now? - Ygritte commented sarcastically - an' d' you know if 'e wants t' get me out o' this cell? - she asked; Sam waved his head negativelly. - Didn' think so - Ygritte muttered bitterly - well, Samwell Tarly, tell 'im if 'e wants t' see me, that 'e better do tha' 'imself, all right? - S-sure - Sam stammered - I'll tell him the day after tomorrow, after the new Lord Commander is chosen. - Why after that? - Ygritte asked suspiciously - what does 'e 'ave t do with the choice of the new commander o' the Crows? - Jon is also one of the candidates - Sam replied - he stands against Othell Yarwick, Bowen Marsh and ser Alliser Thorne. Forgive me, but I must go now. - And with that, Sam bowed clumsily and left the cells, leaving Ygritte alone with her thoughts once more...

************

A few more days have passed by, and Jon came to her cell door in person one day, alone. He told her that he had had become the new Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, 998th in order, and that he is setting her free, but she will have to pretend to serve him, so that he may keep her safe from others, because some of them have less than honorable intentions, who knows what they might think of doing to her if she roams around Castle Black on her own, and not to mention she was also unarmed, because after the battle from few weeks ago ended, the Crows lined all the surviving Wildlings and disarmed them before locking them in the cells, and Ygritte missed her bow, a quiver of arrows and long bladed dagger. Before he took her to the Commander's Tower, however, he asked her to remove her furs and leathers so that they may be taken to be cleaned up, and then he removed his cloak and wrapped her lithe form in it to keep her from being cold. Luckily, a fire was burning in the Lord Commander's solar, so she immediately felt pleasant after she got in, away from the biting cold snapping at the exposed skin of her naked body. Her leathers and furs were cleaned up by the next morning, and she put them back on, after spending the night with Jon in his bed in his new solar, both of them covered with heavy furs to keep them warm. Later in the morning, Jon left to council with Sam and another black brother of the Watch, a man named Eddison Tollett, but commonly known by the name of Dolorous Edd. He came back to his solar, where Ygritte awaited him, sometime later, and he gave her her weapons back and asked her to arm herself, and also to come with him, Edd, Tormund and the giant, Wun Weg Wun Dar Wun, called Wun Wun for short, the last giant in the North after Dongo and Mag The Mighty died that night when Castle Black was attacked; they were taking a boat to Hardhome, where a small encampment and settlement of the Free Folk was located.

************

\- Seven hells! Ygritte, pull back! - Jon yelled loudly; he and Ygritte were in the front lines of the battlefield, she bravely shot wights with her arrows, Jon cut the White Walkers down with the blade of his Valyrian steel sword, Longclaw. All of a sudden, she was surrounded by a dozen of wights, and they started tearing at her furs, trying to bring her down... Since her bow and arrows were useless in such close quarters, she unsheathed her dagger and started cutting the wights down, but one of them got closer and bit her arm, so she was forced to drop her dagger, which skidded off over the wooden pier and into the depths of frozen sea water. - Ygritte!!! - Jon yelled loudly once more, and he got closer, cutting the wights with the blade of Longclaw... - Jon! Aah! - Ygritte yelled in fear when two wights grabbed her legs and started pulling her towards the water. - Hold on! - he yelled and ran over, pulling her out of the wights' grasp at the last moment; they boarded the boat quickly, and Tormund and Edd rowed away with joined forces. 


	3. Betrayal

On their way back, Jon inspected Ygritte's lower arm, where the wight had bitten her; he was not an expert, but it seemed to him that her wound was not life threatening, but that still did not meant that it didn't hurt a bit. She still had her bow and quiver of arrows, but she still felt a bit sad because she lost her dagger at Hardhome, and when Jon asked her why was she so unhappy about it, she said that her father gifted her that dagger when she was eight winters old, during the time when the short winters ruled in the North, each of them last just for a few moons, and it was like that for almost ten years, the one and only time that the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros were blessed by the Gods, both the Old and the New. Jon comforted her when he told her that he will ask Tormund to make her a new dragonglass dagger, same as the one she lost was, the only difference being that its blade will be black in color. She agreed with that, and they have arrived back at the White Harbor, and from there it was the three hours walk to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, and then by the shorter path that not many in the Watch knew about, but it was well known among the Free Folk, an hour and a half of quick walk towards Castle Black...

************

The night fell over Castle Black, Jon, Ygritte, Sam and Pyp were in the Lord Commander's solar, which was now Jon's, since he got named the new Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, as I have had mentioned before... Ygritte would have her new dagger made a day after the one on the morrow, as Tormund needed to rest a bit overnight after their bad luck at Hardhome, because he fought with all his strength against the wights and White Walkers. Olly, Jon's steward, came to inform him that his uncle Benjen came back with the information on the Wildlings, and Jon got up and was about to run outside, but Ygritte halted him... - What is it? - he asked, suddenly feeling worried. - I wouldn' trust tha' boy if I were in your place, Jon Snow - she said, deliberately deciding to hide the fact she killed the boy's father from her lover, because she did not want to lose him again. - Ygritte... If my uncle really came back after he was missing for the last few years, I... I have to make sure - he said. - All right - Ygritte sighed - but I'm going with ya. - No! Please, Ygritte, if this is really a trap as you think it is, I don't want to possibly lose you again; I almost lost you a few weeks ago, when you were shot with that arrow during the battle for Castle Black. You were lucky that time, the arrow missed your heart by a few inches, so I've managed to save your life that time, but who knows what can happen the next time? Stay here, I beg you, I love you and I couldn't bear if I lost you forever. - All right, Jon Snow - Ygritte said with tears in her eyes, some of them even falling down her cheeks - I will stay 'ere, bu' if any o' those other Crows do somethin' to ya... - I am certain that you will avenge me if I die - Jon replied, walking ove to the door that led outside. - Take yer sword - Ygritte asked him - and remember wha' I 'ave told ya: I am yours, and you are mine, and if we die, we die, but first we'll live. - Yes - Jon nodded, taking his sword belt with a leather sheath with Longclaw in it, and he tied it and buckled it around his waist - first we'll live. - And with that, he walked out and got down the stairs into the snow covered training courtyard. A small group of the black brothers stood there with their swords unsheathed; ser Alliser Thorne, Bowen Marsh, Othell Yarwyck, Olly... At the sight of them, Jon unsheathed Longclaw, but... - You'd do better if you drop that sword, lord Snow - ser Alliser spoke in a mocking tone - we have no tolerance for traitors who befriend the wildling scum, here on the Wall. Surrender, and your life and that of your wildling whore will be spared; refuse, and then who knows what will happen to her. Maybe I'll allow Marsh and Yarwyck to have some fun with her... - the Master-at-Arms of Castle Black grinned maliciously. - N-no - Jon stammered, and let the sword fall from his hand onto the snow covered ground at his feet... All of a sudden, Thorne gasped in pain and he was forced to drop his sword as well; an arrow was sticking out of his shoulder. Ygritte stood at the top of the staircase, armed with her bow, an arrow notched and ready on her bowstring. - All o' ya, move away from 'im! - she yelled, aiming at Bowen Marsh - Jon, grab that sword o' yours and go back! Come on! - Kill him! - ser Alliser yelled, and Othell Yarwyck was instantly upon Jon, stabbing him in the chest with his sword. - For the Watch! - he yelled, getting an arrow in the neck from Ygritte's bow as a reward for his efforts, and then she pulled another arrow and hit Bowen Marsh in his chest, straight into the heart; Marsh fell, dead, and Thorne hesitated for a moment, but then he pulled his dagger and ran towards Jon, intent on killing him. An arrow to his neck ended his pathetic existence, and then Ygritte thre down her bow and ran over to Jon... - Jon! Jon! - she gasped, in shock, she was the one who held him now in her arms; tears fell down her cheeks, falling onto his face, his eyes half open, a trickle of blood falling from the corner of his mouth onto his chin. - Yg... Ygritte - he whispered - this is ironic, is it not? I held you in my arms a couple of weeks ago and you survived, now you held me in your arms while I am dying... - No, Jon Snow! - she cried - don' ya dare die on me, ya 'ear me? Don' ya dare to die! - Remember me as if I am still alive... please - he whispered, closed his eyes and his head fell to the side. - JON!!! - Ygritte yelled, buried her face in his chest and started sobbing loudly and hysterically.


	4. Execution

Stannis and Melisandre were residing in Castle Black for the last few days, along with his wife Lady Selyse of House Florent, their daughter princess Shireen and his Hand, ser Davos Seaworth, The Onion Knight. Witnessing how Jon Snow was slaughtered by his brothers of the Night's Watch, Davos and Melisandre asked Stannis for permission to try to revive Jon with the help of magic of R'hllor, the Lord of Light, a foreign god that Melisandre worshipped. Stannis gave his permission, begrudgingly, and so she and Davos, with the help of Pyp and Tormund carefully lifted Jon's seemingly dead body from the ground and carried him up the stairs, where they laid him on the table in his solar, and Melisandre undressed him from his leather tunic and heavy wool he wore underneath, stripping even his cloth undershirt off, so he wore only his heavy black breeches and knee-high black leather boots. Jon's albino direwolf, Ghost, lay asleep in the corner, and the only two people that Melisandre allowed to remain in Jon's solar, while she tried to revive him, were Ygritte and Sam. All of the others followed Tormund's example and left to get some sleep. Melisandre was chanting some foreign words almost all night, either prayers to her god or some wizarding mantras meant for reviving the dead, Ygritte and Sam did not knew; somewhere around half the night Sam fell asleep on the bench on the other side of Lord Commander's table, across the chair in which now Jon sat, and Jeor Mormont before him, but Ygritte remained awake, not wanting to miss anything that could happen to her man. The remaining few hours of the night were away, slowly but steadily, and at the first light of dawn, Melisandre fell into the chair, exhausted. - Well? - Ygritte spoke a few moments later - did ya manage t' revive 'im? - I'm sorry, my dear girl - Melisandre sighed in defeat - it seems that I have misinterpreted the signs that the Lord of Light was sending me. Why would He send me the wrong omens, I know not, but it seems that Jon Snow is not Azor Ahai, The Prince That Was Promised, as I thought he was at first, I have done everything in my power to bring him back, but it was all in vain, I fear. I suggest you let go of him, his physical form atleast, keep him in your memories, because he cannot come back to you, I'm afraid - Melisandre closed her eyes and lowered her head. - No... - Ygritte moaned sadly - NO! He's not dead! Ya do wha' ya can t' bring 'im back! - she yelled at Melisandre, tears flowing freely from her eyes. - Jon... - Ygritte buried her face in his neck and cried hysterically, her loud sobs echoing through the Lord Commander's solar. In the next moment, Jon opened his eyes, slowly, and started hyperventilanting, loudly, because he had not had took a breathe or air for the countless hours while he, seemingly, lay in a coma. After a few moments, his breathing slowed down and continued in his usual rhythm, while Ygritte lifted her head and looked at him, her eyes wet with tears, but those were the tears of joy, now... - Oh, Jon! - she breathed and hugged him lightly, being careful not to move him or shake him too much - I though' I 'ave los' ya forever - she whispered, her tears falling on his nose and down towards his beard...

************

It was late afternoon that day, near the evening, when a small party of people, including Stannis, ser Davos, Melisandre, Jon, Ygritte, Sam, Gilly, Edd and Tormund gathered around the quickly erected gallows in the training courtyard of Castle Black. Two other black brothers brought Olly from the ice cells, his wrists shackled, his dark eyes full of hatred and animosity towards Jon and especially towards Ygritte. They made him stand on a barrel, and one of the brothers climbed the stairs onto the higher platform and put the noose around the young traitor's neck. - Olly - Jon spoke - you were the one of the few who betrayed the Watch by stabbing your Lord Commander and leaving him to die. All of the other mutineers got their fitting punishment from my wild girlfriend's arrows, and now I have to punish you for your part in the mutiny. Do you have any last words? - Olly glared hatefully at him in return. Jon unsheathed Longclaw and cut the rope that was holding the barrel in half; barrel rolled over to the other end of the rough wooden platform, disappearing from under Olly's feet, and the boy gurgled and gasped for air for the next few moments until the gurgling sounds ceased and he became still. - Burn the body - Jon addressed Edd, removing his cloak and throwing it into his arms. - What should I do with this? - Edd asked while Jon descended the stairs. - Wear it, or burn it, whatever you want - Jon said tiredly - you are the new Lord Commander from now on, starting on the morrow; my Watch has ended. - Jon, Ygritte and Tormund spend their last night at Castle Black sleeping on the bunks in Jon's soon-to-be former solar; Sam and Gilly were in the adjacent sleeping quarters. The next day, later in the morning, the brothers opened the gate for a slender, red haired and blue eyed girl, but her eyes were softer than Ygritte's; she was followed by a tall woman in armor, armed with a sword, who had a short cropped blonde hair. The girl, still sitting on horseback as did the tall woman behind her, introduced herself as Sansa Stark, and her companion as Brienne of Tarth, and she said she was looking for Jon Snow. The black brother immediately ran off to fetch Jon, while his fellow guardsman kept an eye on Sansa and Brienne, but he allowed them to come into the courtyard and got off from the horsebacks. Jon appeared a few minutes later, followed by a beautiful girl with fiery red hair, a few shades darker than Sansa's, and icy blue-and-grey eyes, almost as a cluster of steely grey clouds before the beginning of the storm. - Jon? - Sansa spoke in amazement and slight confusion when she saw Ygritte, dressed in her thick furs, armed with a bow and a quiver of arrows. - Sansa - Jon replied - I want you to meet Ygritte, my girlfriend from the Free Folk; Ygritte, this is my half sister, Sansa of House Stark of Winterfell - he introduced the girls to one another. - Now, what brings you here? - he asked, motioning for her and Brienne to follow him and Ygritte into what was still his solar for the time being...


	5. Battle Plans (Leaving Castle Black)

\- So, what brings you here to the Wall? - Jon asked Sansa after she and Brienne sat down onto a pair of chairs provided by Sam, who bowed and left the solar; Jon, Ygritte, Sansa and Brienne were now the only people occupying it. - I need your help, Jon - Sansa replied - I have had escaped Winterfell with the help of an old maid still loyal to House Stark, despite our home now being ruled and controlled by Ramsay Bolton, Roose Bolton's recently legitimized son and heir. I fear that I have had put the old maid's life to risk. - How did you escaped, exactly? - Jon asked. - Theon Greyjoy, or rather Reek, as Ramsay told him that he is to be known from now on after he mutilated him in the most brutal way imaginable after his forces that surrounded Winterfell a couple of years ago received him as a gift from the group of Ironborn from Pyke who rebelled against Theon commanding them during the short lived siege of Winterfell, led by Theon and captain Dagmer Cleftjaw, when ser Rodrik was caught and executed, and the false news about Bran and Rickon eing burned were spread around Winterfell. Theon killed Ramsay's female assassin Myranda, and after that we jumped down into the outer courtyard from one of the towers and ran off to the forest overlooking the south entrance to Winterfell, it was there where we saw lady Brienne hiding, waiting for me, presumably - Sansa finished her story. - What would you have me do, Sansa? - Jon asked - I have no army, and the Night's Watch swore an oath that they will not get involved with the wars and affairs of the Seven Kingdoms. - Well, Jon, I see you have a Wildling as your love interest... - Free Folk - Ygritte, who was silent and listening to the conversation the whole time, now spoke, softly, but with a steely undertone to her voice. - What? - Sansa looked at the young spearwife in confusion. - We like to be referred to as Free Folk, not Wildlings, as you Southerners call us all the time - Ygritte replied. - Forgive me, but how is that relevant to what we are discussing here? And I'm not a Southerner... - Sansa interjected. - Sansa - Jon cast a warning glance in his older half-sister's direction. - All right - Sansa huffed - you have a girlfriend that belongs to the Free Folk beyond the Wall, mayhaps you can recruit some of them to fight for you and to help us liberate Winterfell from Ramsay and reclaim it for ourselves. I think that you and Ygritte being lovers would help that cause a lot - she told them her plan. - All right, Sansa - Jon replied - you and Brienne will stay here at Castle Black, while I will ride to the Free Folk camp not far from here, accompanied by Ygritte and Tormund Giantsbane. Sam Tarly and Edd Tollett will take care of you two while I'm away. - Thank you, Jon, Ygritte - she nodded shortly, and Jon and Ygritte went to fetch Tormund in his smithy. 

************

Jon, Ygritte and Tormund rode out of Castle Black an hour and a half later, and took direction towards Eastwatch-By-The-Sea, where all the surviving Widlings were located in an improvised settlement, consisting mainly of tents, after their evacuation from Hardhome; one of them was a spearwife named Karsi, whom Ygritte was well acquainted with. It was her whom kept a guard duty when Jon, Ygritte and Tormund rode in the camp a couple of hours later, mid-afternoon. - Ygritte! - Karsi left her spear leaned on the wooden fence that marked the perimeter where the borders of the encampment were ending and the wilderness began, and then she went over towards Ygritte and caught her in the strong hug. - It's good t' see ya alive an' well, Karsi - Ygritte said and broke the hug - alas, we 'ave no time t' stay 'ere an' chat, we are 'ere on important business. - What? - Karsi asked. - I think it's for the best if Jon Snow 'ere tells ya wha' it's all abou' - Ygritte replied; Karsi gave her a short nod, noticing for a moment that Ygritte had a new dagger made of dragonglass in the fur sheath on her left hip.

************

The negotiations were endless, it seemed to Jon; he managed to sway quite a fair number of the Free Folk to fight at his side, but there were still few of them who opposed, 2-3 dozens of them, one of the Thenns, a relatively unknown young man, who was named the new Magnar a couple of weeks after Styr's death at Castle Black, was the loudest and most aggressive among those who were against Jon's proposition. In the end, it turned out that the young Magnar and those who agreed with him took their belongings and left back to their homes on the other side of the Wall, and Jon was displeased and he even felt a bit bad about it, but Ygritte was quick to comfort him. - No need for ya t' care about 'em so much, Jon - she spoke softly, but with a slight edge to her voice - if they wan' t' be sitting ducks t' the White Walkers an' be an easy prey t' them, it's no' yer problem anymore - she whispered comfortingly - we 'ave enough o' the Free Folk on our side, willing t' fight for us an' 'elp us retake your Winterfell from Ramsay. - I know, Ygritte, but... - he spoke quietly. - But you're worried tha' it won' be enough - Ygritte finished his sentence. - Yes. What if we fail and get killed down to the last? What if Ramsay takes you hostage and tortures you? What if...? - here, tears started flowing from his eyes, he was especially worried what if something happens to Ygritte? He was not sure he could go on without her in his life and at his side, not when he had had almost lost her not too long a time ago... - Don't worry, Jon Snow - she spoke quietly - nothin' will 'appen t' me, I can take care o' meself, or 'aven't I proved it t' ya a couple o' times? - You did - Jon nodded shortly. Sometime later, a large group of Free Folk left their improvised camp in the vicinity of Eastwatch after they have had gathered all of their belongings and began walking slowly behind Jon, Ygritte and Tormund who were riding horses in front of them. They arrived back at Castle Black when it was nearing nightfall, and the wildlings who followed them immediately started erecting their tents and preparing fires, unloading the meat of the game they caught in the forest a few days ago, preparing a temporary encampment outside of the walls and battlements of Castle Black. Jon, Ygritte and Tormund rode inside into the training courtyard and got down from the saddles; while the stable boy led their horses away, Jon noticed a girl of about ten-and-eight years of age, with shoulder length dark hair and blue-and-grey eyes, dressed in a brown breeches, knee high brown leather boots, blue woolen tunic that reached to her knees, brown leather jerkin and thick woolen surcoat lined with wolf fur, that was held in place across her upper body, going from her left shoulder to her right hip, on which a thin bladed sword in sheath was; on her left hip she wore a peculiar looking dagger in an ornamented scabbard... - Arya? - Jon was beside himself with joy when her recognized his younger half-sister. - Jon? - Arya Stark's eyes went wide, but in the next moment she ran over to Jon and jumped on him, hugging him. The two siblings were caught in a strong hug for a few minutes, both crying tears of joy for being reunited after several years, and Ygritte, standing not too far away from the entrance to the training courtyard of Castle Black, teared up a bit as well out of happiness for her soulmate, Jon Snow, after Sansa explained everything about Arya to the wildling girl...

************

Jon, Ygritte, Arya, Tormund, ser Davos, Sansa and Brienne rode out of Castle Black later in the morning the next day, and upon seeing them, the wildlings who swore loyalty to Jon started dismantling their camp outside of the walls, knocking the tents down, putting the fires out, grabbing their weapons and what little food they had had left with them, and then they started walking behind the six riders, taking direction towards South on the march to Winterfell. The small army planned to reach Moat Cailin by nightfall, since it was only fifteen leagues towards southeast, not more than six or seven leagues far from Winterfell, but Jon also planned for them to stop at The Last Hearth, the Stronghold of House Umber, in case the night caughts up with them before they reach their intended destination.


	6. The Northerners' March (Ygritte Gets Captured)

The Free Folk army slowly marched down the Kingsroad on their way from Castle Black towards The Last Hearth, led by Jon, Ygritte and Arya, while ser Davos, Sansa, Tormund and Brienne rode in the back of the large column. Men and women were armed with spears, axes, bows and arrows, few of them had swords that were in good condition, most probably stolen from the black brothers who had had got lost in the woods and fell to the weapons of the Free Folk or the White Walkers in the years passed by; there were also children, sons and daughters of some wildling families, armed with daggers, and Wun Wun, positioned near the end of the column; the last among the giants in the Free Folk army, and they all marched to battle for the liberation of Winterfell from the Boltons. - Before I ran away, I sneaked into the rookery one night when everybody else were sleeping and I wrote a message to lord Petyr Baelish, the Warden of the East; aunt Lysa named him as such before her death - Sansa told Jon while they were closing in on The Last Hearth, when she rode in the front of the column, a couple of paces away behind Ygritte; late morning was slowly giving way to early afternoon. - What could have had happened to her that could cause her to do something like that, name Littlefinger the Warden? - Jon was confused, and more than a bit worried; he still remembered how Littlefinger was one of those few people that were responsible for the death of his stepfather, but really his uncle, Eddard Stark, who got beheaded by the blade of the ancestral Valyrian steel sword of House Stark, Ice, in the hands of the royal executioner, ser Ilyn Payne, and by the order of the new King at the time, Joffrey of Houses Baratheon and Lannister. - She was in love with him, that is why she killed her old husband, lord Jon Arryn. I have written a message to lord Baelish, asking him to gather the army of the Knights of the Vale under the command of lord Royce, old Bronze Yohn, and for them to come to aid the North if it turns out for us to start losing our battle against the forces of House Bolton in our efforts to try and reclaim Winterfell. - And what makes you think that he will listen to you? - Jon asked suspiciously. - He has special feelings for me, as he did for Mother, once - she replied. Jon rode in silence, his eyes focused on the road before them.

************

The army kept marching for the following few hours, ser Davos now rode off ahead a bit to scout, and Ygritte went away with him despite Jon's protests, but he asked her to be careful, because the army has now passed Moat Cailin and they were very close to Winterfell; it would not do if she and ser Davos were to be ambushed by Boltons and captured or something worst, he mentioned to her; she nodded and rode off after ser Davos, and the two were soon out of everyone's sight. The Onion Knight rode back to the camp a couple of hours later, when the night was close to falling; camp fires were lit, some of the guards held torches in their hands, and they inspected everyone who sneaked near their camp, just in case if Ramsay Bolton sent a spy to them to conceal himself or herself in their ranks and inform Ramsay about the number of them, the state their weapons were in, and so on... The guards let him go to Jon's tent when they recognized him, and he went inside; Jon was counseling with Sansa, Arya and Tormund when ser Davos ran inside. - Your Grace - he said and bowed. - Ser Davos - Jon greeted him in reply. - I have grave news, Your Grace - ser Davos said, frowning and looking worried - a few of Bolton men ambushed us all of a sudden in the forest near Winterfell, and they took your woman hostage. They showed no interest in me, so they left me my sword, but they disarmed Ygritte, throwing her dragonglass dagger, bow and quiver of arrows down on the ground before me, and one of them said: 'Take this b*tch's weapons back to your King and tell him not to show his face anywhere near the battlements of Winterfell if he wants her to live. And who knows, maybe lord Bolton will have his time with her before he throws her to his dogs.' They rode away after that, and I gathered her weapons and decided to get back here on foot, because they took both hers and my horse. - Thank you, ser Davos - Jon replied and went out of the tent, leaving Davos, Sansa, Arya and Tormund alone with each other; what was he supposed to do now? With Ygritte now a hostage of Ramsay Bolton, her life was at stake first if anyone from the combined army of Stark loyalists or the Free Folk appears anywhere near Winterfell..


	7. The Night Of The Rescue

Almost all of camp was asleep that night, everyone except Jon, Arya, ser Davos and Tormund, who were planning to undertake a mission of rescuing Ygritte in the middle of the night. The four of them would be enough to take part in such a delicate task, with their group being neither too large nor too small, thus making them not so easily discoverable by enemy. They decided to wait for the middle of the night to come, because if the Bolton guards spot nobody anywhere for some time in the vicinity of Winterfell, they will be lulled into the false sense of security and fall asleep on the battlements, and when they do, then it would be the right time to strike. An hour later, when the eleventh hour of that day came, they left the camp on their feet, for the sake of being quiet and quick moving. The forest around Winterfell was near, so it took them a bit more than half an hour to reach it and conceal themselves there. Their plan was to gather at the eastern wall entrance, because there was an underground tunnel that led to the crypts and through them into the training courtyard, where the late ser Rodrik instructed Theon, Robb and Jon sword fighting, or where Bran learned to use bow and arrows, shooting targets... Ygritte was bound to an X- shaped wooden pole, as large as herself, her wrists and ankles tied to each end, and she was half dressed, her heavy fur hooded jacket thrown into the corner, at a rough wooden bench, she wore only her rabbit pelt undershirt, her thick fur pants and heavy boots. She was in the state of fitful sleep for the moment, half conscious because of the unbearable thirst. - Jon... - she would let out a painful moan here and there, from time to time, through her cracked, parched lips, because the air was thick with smoke from the fireplace in the corner of former solar of Eddard Stark and Roose Bolton; now it was Ramsay's solar. Ygritte felt unbearable pain in her wrists and around her ankles, the ropes she was bound with were tied too tight, so it had had almost stopped her bloodstream. In the meantime, in the crypts, Jon, Arya, ser Davos and Tormund were sneaking through the crypts at a slow pace, listening in if they were to hear a sound of footsteps or anything in the courtyard outside. Luckily for them, all was quiet, so they kept walking; Jon got to the entrance to the crypts first, Arya right behind him, and they watched the courtyard for a few moments under the light of the full Moon. Seeing no Bolton guardsman anywhere, they got out of the crypts and walked towards the stables, slowly... Tormund was the last to get into the stables, and just at a right time, because right then the two Bolton guards appeared, walking towards the crypts and stables from the direction of the armory. Almost inaudibly, Jon, ser Davos and Tormund unsheathed their swords and when the guards passed them by, Jon and Tormund each put their left hand over each of the guards' mouths and stabbed them from behind, while ser Davos kept guard in case some other Bolton soldier decides to appear. No other Bolton man appeared and so the three men drew the corpses of the two Bolton guardsmen into the stables, undressed them from their armor and then Jon and ser Davos dressed themselves in it. Jon told Tormund to return to the crypts and wait for them there while they rescue Ygritte from captivity, but Tormund refused, saying that he will go with them and keep the guard in case somebody who shouldn't be close comes over. Jon agreed with that, and so the three of them went up the wooden stairs and they found themselves inside the eastern hallway that led towards the solar of the lord of Winterfell, whoever he was at the time. The path was clear for them, and so they appeared at the door to the solar with no difficulty at all, and Jon, who was the closest, got his ear to the door and listened; Ygritte let out a rather loud, painful moan at that moment, and Jon turned towards the other two men. - She is inside - he whispered and unsheathed his dagger, and he started picking the lock on the door of the solar a moment later. An almost inaudible clicking sound a few moments later indicated that the door opened, and Jon pushed the door carefully inside the solar. Seeing his love in a rather heart breaking state, tied to a wooden pole made his eyes tear up, but he wiped them with the back of his hand and went over to cut her binds with his dagger. When he did, she fell in his arms, her body limp, and he waved Tormund to come over, and then he threw the unconscious Ygritte over the stronger red haired man's shoulders, while he grabbed her heavy jacket and long, cracked leather belt with the fur sheath for her dagger in his arms, and they left the solar and moved quickly and quietly down the hallway and back into the training courtyard. Jon allowed himself to breathe at the moment when they went out of the crypts and back into the underground tunnel. - We made it - he whispered when they were all back to safety into the thickness of the woods near Winterfell, and Jon quickly dressed Ygritte into her heavy jacket because, even if she was unconscious, she started to shiver from the feeling of the cold night air on the partially exposed skin of her body. - Let us hide somewhere deeper in these woods where those f*cking Bolton patrols will not find us - ser Davos suggested - I could use a bit of sleep - he chuckled humorlessly - I am getting too old for this sort of things, rescuing women from captivity in the middle of the night and what have you - he sighed. - Har! - Tormund chuckled, not too loudly, and roughly patted the older man on the back once. 


	8. Ramsay's Message

It was now a day and a half since Ygritte was rescued from her captivity in Winterfell, and Ramsay sent a messenger on a horse to look for the army and deliver them the message to come out of hiding, surrender to him and pledge their loyalty to House Bolton, and their lives will be spared, and he also demanded that Sansa, whom Ramsay married during the time Ygritte and Tormund were working prisoners at Castle Black, be returned to him since their marriage had nt had been annulled, and he also demanded Ygritte be returned to Winterfell as well, since he still considered her his hostage, and he will do with her whatever he saw as fitting to do to her. Jon wrote in reply that he will come with all of his army in front of the battlements of Winterfell, but not to bend the knee, rather to fight with Ramsay and his army and chase them out of Winterfell, since Ramsay does not have the right to rule Winterfell despite what his usurper of a father, Roose Bolton, did and said while he held an unlawful reign over Winterfell after killing the last King in the North, his older half brother Robb Stark. After he finished writing, he sent the messenger off to go back to Ramsay. 

************

Upon finishing reading Jon's reply, Ramsay flew in a fit of rage, and he ordered one of his soldiers to bring the 'trophy' from the dungeons of Winterfell. After the man came back a few minutes later, he carried something large, wrapped in a cloth in his hands, and Ramsay told the man to give that to messenger. As soon as he held that in his hands, Ramsay ordered him to ride back to Jon and his army, and the messenger left. 

************

\- Jon! Ramsay's messenger is riding back towards us! - Arya yelled, seeing the rider approaching their positions fast. - My lord Bolton instructed me to give this to you as a sign of his good will and a warning - the messenger said, gave the package to Jon, turned his horse and rode back to Winterfell; Jon unwrapped the package and paled; inside the cloth was the head of a direwolf with fur as black as the Moonless night. - Shaggydog - Jon muttered dejectedly - it means that Ramsay has Rickon as his prisoner. Tormund - Jon waved the red haired former right hand man to Mance Rayder, the late King-beyond-the-Wall, to come over. - Yah, boy, what is it? - Tormund asked in his gruff voice. - Get the army ready; we march to war to reclaim Winterfell. - Har! - Tormund laughed loudly, whacked Jon on his back with his hand and left to pass his orders over to the rest of Jon's army. Half an hour later, the army started their march, Jon, Arya and Ygritte riding in front as the commanders, while Sansa, ser Davos and Tormund rode behind them, Wun Wun walked behind the remaining three riders, and the rest of them, men women and children, followed in the back, all of them heavily armed, as I have described before. 


	9. Reclaiming Winterfell

Jon and Ygritte were riding in front of everyone, as the main commanders of their army, while Arya, ser Davos, Karsi and Tormund rode a bit behind them, followed by Wun Wun and the men and a few of the able bodied women of the Free Folk, 600 of them in total; Sansa rode away to Karhold as per Jon's orders, taking those women that were not able to fight and children with her. Jon quickly organized his forces into battle formations on the left and right side of him, putting the archers, both men and women in the front and onto the sides of him, tasking Tormund to command the left flank, Ygritte the right. Swordmen came behind, standing in the center, under the lead of Arya and ser Davos, and last, at the end of the column, came Wun Wun, considering that he was a giant, so Jon wanted to spare him at the back, to keep him in reserve considering his height and strength. Not too long a time passed from the moment the small force formed their lines, when the gates of Winterfell started opening and Ramsay Bolton rode out, proudly sitting in the saddle of a magnificent black steed. - I see you have come to fulfill my requests - he started speaking in a sugar laced voice - now, pray tell me where is my wife, lady Sansa? I wish so much to speak with her... - I didn't - Jon interrupted him icily - I have brought my army here to fight with yours down to the last man. - I see no reason for either one of our armies to shed even a single drop of blood - Ramsay kept talking in his sweet, oily voice - you have no chance of winning and reclaiming Winterfell. It will be ruled by House Bolton from now on, House Stark does not have its stronghold anymore, nor will they reclaim it ever again. Now, I give you a choice. either tell your army to throw down their weapons and surrender, or they can fight, but all of you will waste your lives for nothing. What say you? - We will fight - Jon replied and Ramsay turned his horse and rode away to take a position at the front of his army, in the middle of the column; his army counted 500 pikemen, 1000 swordmen and 350 archers. Ramsay unsheathed his sword, slowly, and yelled an order for the archers to draw; each of them pulled an arrow from the quiver, put it on the bowstring, drew and held. Jon and the others watched in confusion; what was Ramsay doing? - Release - he spoke softly. - Release the arrows! - His aide-de-camp yelled loudly and the Bolton archers fired as one; some of the swordmen in the first two lines of Jon's army fell down on the ground, shot in their thighs and upper arms, mostly; but a few of them were unhappy to have their necks pierced, and they writhed in agony, gurgling and spitting black blood. - Draw! - Jon yelled at his archers, including Ygritte, while he unsheathed Longclaw and raised its blade in the air... - Fire! - he yelled, and some of the arrows found their target, Ygritte's arrow being among them; few of the pikemen among Bolton forces fell down. - March! - Ramsay yelled at his men, and they started galloping and running towards Jon's army, closing the distance between two armies very fast. - Pull! - Jon yelled and the archers notched the arrows onto their bowstrings once more. - Aim! - Jon ordered and they aimed, some upwards in the air, some in front. - Fire! - Jon ordered once more and they released the arrows, which found more of their targets one more time... - Fire! Jon ordered again and the arrows flew towards Bolton army for the third time. - Swords! - Jon ordered, because the enemy forces came closer now, so it became impossible for them to shoot the opposing army with arrows. Arya quickly armed herself with Needle and her Valyrian steel dagger, Ygritte quickly put her bow onto her back and pulled her dagger, Tormund and ser Davos unsheathed their swords... The two armies started cutting themselves down very soon, Arya was easily piercing the necks of her enemies with Needle, since their swords were heavier and so for that reason she was able to get rid of her enemies with ease, first and foremost, her Water Dancing technique she learned from a Braavosi swordmaster Syrio Forel a few years ago giving her the advantage... 

************

Jon and his surviving army were pushed into a very narrow patch of the land on the battlefield, standing back-to-back to each other their bodies forming a circle, and the Bolton pikemen surrounded them from all sides, stabbing at them with the steel tips of their weapons, they themselves were protected from the enemy blow by rectangular shields that bore a sigil of House Bolton, a flayed man. Jon stood on the southern side of the circle, between Arya on his left and Ygritte on his right side. - This could easily be our last moment together - he said - but if it is, if we are to die today, atleast we will not be separated from each other - he teared up a bit at the thought of dying and so did both of his most favorite women, but all three of them gathered their courage and decided that they will die with their heads held high, fighting, not cowering in the hidden corners somewhere... All of a sudden a loud blaring of the horn was heard, ad a few moments later a column of riders rammed up into the Bolton pikemen, breaking their formation, and Jon noticed some of the riders carried banners with a sigil of a white falcon and crescent moon on a dark blue background, the sigil of House Arryn of the Vale; Bronze Yohn Royce and Sansa rode in the front of the Knights of Vale. 

************

Ramsay and his soldiers quickly turned around at the moment when the army of House Arryn arrived, and they marched back into the safety of the stone walls and battlements of Winterfell, both the horsemen and infantry. As soon as the last Bolton soldier got back inside, some of them shut the gate and rammed it with a log, ensuring that their defenses will not be overrun, but they didn't count with the strength of a giant. Wun Wun rammed his shoulder into the gates, trying to ram it down, and he succeeded after a few more times, running into the courtyard, but he was brought down onto his knees by the arrows of the Bolton archers. Jon, Ygritte, Arya, ser Davos and Tormund appeared behind him, and Jon approached him, attempting to grasp Wun Wun's shoulder with his hand, but Ramsay shot an arrow through the giant's eye a moment before that. Jon, Ygritte and Tormund were shocked the most, watching the giant slowly falling on the ground, dead. Ramsay notched another arrow on his bow, aimed at Jon and fired, intent on hitting him. Jon quickly grabbed a shield with the sigil of House Mormont and protected himself from Ramsay's arrow. He did not have had the chance to fire another one because Ygritte hit him in the shoulder, and then Jon walked closer to him, hit him in the face with a shield, threw it on the ground along with Longclaw and started hitting Ramsay in the face with his fist. He hit him around five or six times, until Ramsay's face was all bloody and he moaned in pain, quietly. A few moments later, ser Davos and Bronze Yohn picked Ramsay up from the ground, at Sansa' s command, and they took him away to the dungeons below. 


	10. The Northern Wedding (King and Queen in the North)

A part of Jon's army slowly walked into Winterfell after the battle was over. A few remaining Bolton swordmen threw their swords down and surrendered to Jon and his soldiers, and then they were escorted to the dungeons below. Banner of House Bolton was removed from the battlements, replaced by the one of House Stark, and it was put on fire. Searching through the bedchambers, ser Davos and Tormund discovered a mutilated dead body of Rickon Stark and the corpse of his headless direwolf, Shaggydog, and they helped Jon put together a few logs for the funeral pyre for one of his younger half brothers and his wolf. Their bodies were put together, next to each other, and Jon took a lit torch from Tormund's hand and ignited the logs. Sansa and Arya hugged each other and they started crying, while Jon hugged Ygritte and buried his face in her shoulder, sobbing. - Shhhh - she whispered to him in a comforting manner, gently carressing his dark hair with her hands, although she was crying as well, seeing Jon so broken... - your brother is now at peace, an' you're gonna carry a memory o' 'im in yer thoughts, I know tha' - she talked quietly, rubbing his back with her hand to try to get him to relax. - Thank you, Ygritte - Jon whispered - you don't know how much your words make me be at peace...

************

The next day, during a late morning, Jon and Ygritte slowly walked towards the Godswood, where Wolkan, House Bolton's former Maester, will make them husband and wife by the tradition of the First Men, in the eyes of the Old Gods of the North. Jon wore his new brown woolen tunic and black leather jerkin for the occasion, and around his neck he wore a steel neckplate bearing the sigil of House Stark, two direwolf heads facing each other, while Ygritte wore her usual furs. - We have gathered her in the Godswood of Winterfell - Maester Wolkan began - to connect this man and woman in a marital union in the sight of the Old Gods of the North. Do you, Ygritte of the Free Folk, daughter of Tormund Giantsbane, take Jon Snow as your husband? - I do - Ygritte replied simply. - And do you, Jon Snow, son of Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen of Dragonstone and Lady Lyanna Stark of Winterfell, take Ygritte, daughter of Tormund, a spearwife of the Free Folk, to be your wife? - the Maester asked. - I do - Jon replied. Sansa and Arya, whom Ygritte asked for a favor of being her maids of honor, brought forward a large wooden box encrusted with blood red and light green jewels, and when they opened the lid, inside was a steel-and-iron ring shaped like a direwolf's head like the one the soldiers had on their round shields. Jon took the ring out and placed it onto Ygritte's ring finger first, and than she did the same in return, placing it onto Jon's finger. Another wooden box was brought forward then, and in it were two crowns made of steel and iron, two round hoops with a direwolf's head in the front, although the king's crown had two Valyrian steel sword on the sides. Maester Wolkan did the coronation of Jon first, and then he crowned Ygritte. - Hail the King and Queen in the North! - Arya yelled loudly, and then all the others, except the newlywed royal couple of the North, took up the call, congratulating them...


	11. Tyrion's Message

After their return from the wedding ceremony, Jon and Ygritte took their seats in the center of the long table in the front of the Great Hall of Winterfell, right in front of a large tapestry depicting a direwolf running over a snow covered field; the seats they took were the ones where the King and/or Queen in the North sat ever since House Stark was founded by Brandon the Builder, eight thousand years ago. Arya and maester Wolkan sat in the seats next to Jon, Sansa and Bran, who was bound to a wheelchair, sat next to Ygritte, while ser Davos and Brienne stood on the left and right side of the table, near the either end of it. On the other side of the hall were rough wooden benches, on which a fair number of people sat on, on the left and right; the left bench had Bronze Yohn and several Knights of the Vale he brought with himself, lord Robett Glover of Deepwood Motte, brother of lord Galbart, who was thought of to be dead... On the right bench sat Tormund Giantsbane, Karsi, and a small noble girl Lyanna Mormont of Bear Island... A heated discussion was in progress, the people gathered were talking about what to do with Karhold and The Last Hearth, since lord Jon 'SmallJon' Umber fought on the side of Ramsay, as did the current lord of House Karstark, the discussion became a fierce quarrel very soon because lord Jon 'GreatJon' Umber, SmallJon's father, was loyal to House Stark, and lord Rickard Karstark denounced Robb as his King, angered because the forces of House Lannister killed his two sons several years ago, and he paid with his life for his disloyalty to Robb... - We should relieve them of their strongholds, and give them to the Houses still loyal to us - Sansa gave her suggestion on the matter at hand. - We should try t' invade 'em, show em there's no foolin' with House Stark o' Winterfell - said the new Queen in the North, Ygritte Stark (Note: A detail I have accidentally forgot to mention in one of the previous chapters is that during the time Stannis, his family and servants spent in Castle Black, Stannis legitimized Jon, naming him Jon Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, but with Stannis killed by Brienne after he lost the battle against House Bolton and failed to reclaim Winterfell back under the rule of House Stark, Jon is free to call himself king if he wants). - SmallJon Umber died at the battlefield when he attacked Tormund and got killed by him - Jon spoke - I will not punish a son for his father's crimes. That is my decision and my decision is final. Alys Karstark and Ned Umber - Jon called and a tall darkhaired girl and a fairhaired boy, a couple of inches shorter than her, stepped out from behind the people that were sitting down on the bench onto the right; they were both armed with swords that were somewhat bigger than the two of them. - Do the two of you swear your unconditional loyalty to House Stark from this moment on, now and forever? - Now and forever - they intoned in unison, unsheathing their swords, turning the blades downwards to the ground and kneeling for a few moments; Jon dismissed them after acknowledging their renewed pledge of loyalty. - I have received a message by raven from Dragonstone, sent to me by Tyrion Lannister, Hand of the Queen to Daenerys Targaryen. In it, he says that I am to come to Dragonstone and bend the knee. - You're not thinking of doing that, are you? - Sansa looked at her half brother in surprise, almost a slight shock. - Mayhaps - Jon replied - Dragonstone is built on the foundation of the natural caves filled with dragonglass, and we can make weapons out of it to fight the White Walkers more easily, push them back with more success, repel their attacks with less effort... If bending the knee is what it takes, then somebody must do that - Jon said. - Yes, somebody, but that somebody doesn't have to be you, exactly - Arya said.- Who, then? - Jon objected heatedly - You? Ser Davos? Tormund? Lord Robett Glover? - I will go - Sansa said, suddenly. - No, Sansa. Somebody has to stay here and rule Winterfell with honor and justly, there is no better person than you to do that in my stead while I'm gone. Ygritte will rule as Queen, and you are to advise her during my absence. - Forget it, Jon Stark! - Ygritte arose from her seat - I'm comin' with ya. - And me - Arya stood up next, ser Davos, Tormund and Brienne following her example. - Alright - Jon sighed - I presume there is no point in trying to convince you otherwise, is it? - Five remaining members of Jon's group shook their heads 'No'. - Well, then, let's go to the stables and choose six strong horses, because we are going to ride to White Harbor, and there we will look for the ship that could take us to Dragonstone - Jon and his group exchanged quick farewells with the rest of the people gathered in the Great Hall and then they walked out. 


	12. Traveling To Dragonstone

Jon, Ygritte, Arya, Tormund, ser Davos and Brienne arrived at the White Harbor after two hours' of galloping ride and after handing the reins of their horses to the stableboy, they entered the nearest tavern and sat down at the table in the upper left corner of the establishment to get something to eat. They ordered a roasted goose with spices, mostly salt and leaves of Dornish rosemary, fresh baked bread, roasted potatoes and dark ale, and the dinner did them good. After they finished eating, Jon called for the tavern owner and asked him if there was a ship sailing for Dragonstone tonight. The owner confirmed that and went to grab his friend, a merchant galley captain from the Free City of Qohor in Essos, and in a few minutes the tavern owner returned to their table, accompanied by a man with bronze skin, his long hair, moustache and beard painted dark red. The captain asked for them to pay him in advance, fifty silver stags, and that was the exact sum that ser Davos had in a small leather back attached to his belt; he tossed it into the captain's hands, and then the captain asked for them if they were finished eating, and after they nodded 'YES', he motioned for them to follow him outside, tossing five gold dragons to the tavern owner while they left the tavern, to pay his friend for the dinner his six guests had had, because all the money they had on themselves was with ser Davos, and he just paid it all to the captain for him to take them to Dragonstone.

************

The six passengers boarded the galley, 'Blood Arrow' it was called, and they got three cabins on the ship for their use; Jon and Ygritte went into the first cabin, Arya and Brienne in another, and ser Davos and Tormund in the last one; captain had a habit of sleeping in the hammock on the main deck, hung between the two masts in the middle of the deck. The sea was calm, and the ship sailed smoothly over the surface of the water, slowly but steadily moving away from the docks of White Harbor. In their cabin a small fire pot stood in the corner and fire was lit inside of it, filling the cabin with light and heat, it was warm enough for a passenger to not be dressed too heavily while inside the cabin, and Jon removed his fur lined cloak and his leather belt with a sheathed Longclaw on his left hip and a dagger on his right, putting them in the corner of the cabin, across from the bed they occupied. Ygritte removed her cracked leather belt with her long dagger in the sheath, bow and quiver of arrows and put them right next to Jon's weapons in the corner. He and Ygritte sat down together on the bed in the cabin, large enough for both of them to fit on it, whether they were sitting or lying down on it. Sometime later, Ygritte got slightly sleepy from the heat of the small fire, and so lied down on her back, leaning her head on her hands, and she fell asleep quickly. Jon smiled, looking at his beautiful Wildling wife and queen, and he also decided to go to sleep, but before that he kissed her neck lightly, and in the next moment he lifted the lower part of her undershirt, made of boiled leather and rabbit pelts; he bared her muscled and slightly scarred belly, milky white in color, like the rest of her skin, which made her all the more beautiful to him, and he brought his head closer to the exposed skin of her stomach, his lips gently brushing a kiss onto her navel, and then he positioned himself next to her, their bodies close, and he threw his right hand over her and fell asleep as well.


	13. Meeting Daenerys

The galley sailed towards the South through the night, its twin sails blown forward by the wind. They came to Dragonstone when the first light of dawn shined on the horizon, and the captain went to each of the cabins one by one, waking those who occupied them. He gave one of his four boats to the six passengers and he told them that he will await them on the open sea till the first light of dawn on the morrow, and if they do not come with the boat back to the ship, they will be on their own. Jon acknowledged that with a curt nod of his head, and so he and Ygritte sat in the front, ser Davos and Brienne in the center, and Arya and Tormund in the back, and then ser Davos and Brienne started rowing towards the island and the small fortress on it that belonged to Stannis Baratheon and to the Targaryens before him, and now a Targaryen ruled over the place once again. With every swing of the oars they were getting closer to the beach, and they now saw a pretty girl with dark skin, around Ygritte's age, with curly black hair, a small man with dark blonde-and-black wavy hair and thick beard, and two tall men with bronze skin, long black beards tied into braids with leather strings, and black hair, tied into ponytails, that fell down to their waists in the back; they were armed with strange swords with long hilts and curved blades. The boat arrived to the shore and Jon, Ygritte, Arya and Tormund disembarked first, while ser Davos and Brienne were putting oars back in their places on the sides of the boat. - Ah, the bastard of Winterfell - Tyrion greeted Jon warmly, extending his hand towards the new King in the North. - Not anymore, my lord Hand - Jon replied, grinning. - I was legitimized as a Stark by Stannis Baratheon before he died, and now I am Jon Stark, The King in the North, and this is my wife, Ygritte Stark, a spearwife of the Free Folk and The Queen in the North - Jon moved slightly to his left, so that Tyrion might cast his eyes upon Ygritte, who stood behind Jon and close to Arya and Tormund. - Welcome, my dear - Tyrion greeted Ygritte warmly - it is a great pleasure to meet the wife of Jon Stark. - Ygritte just nodded, and then Tyrion looked at ser Davos. - Well, it seems that we meet again, Onion Knight - Tyrion commented - the first time we met was during the Battle of Blackwater, on the opposing sides. - Indeed, my Lord - Davos nodded shortly, the memory of his son Matthos' death during the Battle of Blackwater Bay when Stannis tried to take King's Landing by force and instill himself as the King still was painful to Davos even after a couple of years since that night happened. The dark skinned beauty stepped forward, introducing herself as Missandei of Naath, a liberated slave and royal interpreter and handmaiden to Queen Daenerys of House Targaryen. - Whatever weapons you have on yourself, I ask that you pass it over to Qhoro and Rahanno over there - she moved her head towards two bronze skinned warriors with beards, whom Ygritte and Tormund discovered to be the Dothraki. Jon, Arya, ser Davos and Brienne unbuckled their swords belts and handed them over to Qhoro after he and Rahanno got closer to them; Ygritte removed her bow and quiver of arrows from her back, and then she unsheathed her dagger and handed it to Rahanno along with her bow and arrows; Tormund hesitated for a few moments, but then he also unsheathed his short sword and, following his daughter's example, handed it over to the Dothraki Blood Rider. - Follow me, please - Missandei spoke and she and Tyrion started leading the others away from the beach and up the stairs that led towards the castle. They have almost reached the top, when a gigantic dragon flew above them, flying low, and he screeched a loud roar that made all six of them drop to the ground in fear, only Missandei and Tyrion remained standing. The others in the group got up slowly, dusting themselves off, and then Missandei spoke again. - If you are ready to meet our Queen. I will lead you to her. - Jon nodded, and they followed her and Tyrion inside. When they came down the hallway in front of the door that led inside the Throne Room, they saw two dark skinned guards dressed in leather breastplates and helmets with faceguards for nose and mouths, armed with round shields, long spears and daggers they had on their left. Missandei told the others that they were The Unsullied, warriors and eunuchs, former slaves of the masters from the Free Cities of Yunkai, Qarth, Astapor and Meereen. Each guard grabbed the handle on either side of the door and they opened them, allowing the others to go inside. When they entered, Missandei and Tyrion walked over to the low pedestal on which the Throne that Daenerys sat on was, and they stood on the left; on the right were standing a somewhat portly man with shaved head, his arms tucked in his wide sleeves, and he wore a rich velvet robe and soft leather boots, and next to him stood another dark skinned soldier of the Unsullied, armed with just a dagger at the moment being. Missandei introduced him as Grey Worm, or Torgo Nudho, as his name was spoken in the Old Valyrian tongue, and the bald man in robes was lord Varys, The Spider, former royal Master of Whispers and spy who served Aerys The Mad King, Robert Baratheon, Joffrey and Cersei Lannister before running away to Essos and swearing his loyalty to Daenerys. - All hail Queen Daenerys of House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, the Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea and the Rightful Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros - she spoke clearly. - Your Grace - ser Davos spoke, stepping forward when Missandei finished talking - may I present to you Jon Stark and his wife Ygritte Stark, the King and Queen in the North - he said and bowed slightly. - I give you my gratitude for coming here to Dragonstone, my Lord and Lady - Daenerys replied - did you come to bend the knee to me, the rightful Queen? - Your Grace, Jon and Ygritte are the... - ser Davos began, but Jon looked at him, asking him to be quiet for the moment. - No, I did not - Jon replied coolly - my wife the Queen and I came to ask you for your permission in digging out the dragonglass you have in the tunnels under your castle, because it will help the Northmen to defend themselves more easily against the wights and White Walkers. - Really? - Daenerys asked. - And why should I give you permission to dig the dragonglass if you won't bend the knee to me? - Because I have not had come here to do that - Jon replied - we need a large supply of dragonglass to defend the North, or else everyone of us will die; men, women, children... - And is your pride more important than their wellbeing? - Daenerys asked, sounding a bit arrogant. - I think it's your pride we're talkin' 'bout' 'ere, not Jon's - Ygritte interjected, a bit angrily. - Why should 'h bend 'is knee t' you to get the right t' mine the dragonglass an' fight the White Walkers beyond the Wall? - Don't try to scare me with your small folk stories from the North, Wildling - Daenerys scoffed - those White Walkers you speak of never existed! - An' what does a Southerner like you know of that matter? - Ygritte asked, angrily. - Ygritte - Jon spoke calmly, turning towards her and lightly grabbing her shoulders to calm her down, and then he looked back at Daenerys. - So you will not help us if we don't pledge our fealty to you? - he asked. - No - Daenerys replied - one does not ask a favor of the rightful ruler of the Seven Kingdoms without swearing their unwavering loyalty towards the ruler, first and foremost. I was born to rule the Seven Kingdoms, and I will... With fire and blood. - Whatever Her Grace wishes to do - Jon replied tiredly - let's go. - He turned his back on her first, then Ygritte did the same, and then Arya, and the walked towards the exit from the Throne Room; ser Davos, Tormund and Brienne followed them a moment later. After returning to the beach, they took their weapons back from the two Dothraki warriors and got in the boat again, ser Davos and Brienne rowing back to the ship as it was when they were arriving to Dragonstone.


	14. The Silence Attacks

The night was falling slowly, and the galley was just a couple of leagues away from the White Harbor; the six passengers were all on the upper deck, enjoying the cold wind blowing in their faces, not even having a clue about the trouble that loomed over them like a dark cloud when it shrouds the Sun, and it was bound to happen very soon... A gigantic ship appeared in front of them on the horizon, a war ship with three masts, each one having a black sail with a dark yellow squid-like beast embroidered on it; this was kraken, the sigil of House Greyjoy of the Iron Islands, and on the front stood a man with short cropped hair and sideburns that connected with his mustache; captain Euron Greyjoy, younger brother of the late King Balon, uncle to Theon and Yara. His war galley, The Silence, towered over The Blood Arrow from Qohor like a dragon over a horse. The six passengers drew their weapons, and the ship captain ran off below the deck and came back above a few moments later, carrying a pair of crossbow pistols with double charge, each one having a firing mechanism up and down, and that made the wielder of such weapon able to shoot two or four arrows at once towards their enemies, depending if the person who was armed with such weapon had one pistol or two, and it also had a self reload mechanism which enabled the wielder to fire from the second pistol while the first one reloaded itself, and that was a small catch when wielding such weapon; it was to be used one at a time, not simultaneously, or else there was a one second difference between life and death for the wielder of the weapon; if they fired both at the same time, their enemy could have enough time to get closer and kill them with a sword, war axe or bow and arrow while the pistols reloaded. The first two crewmen of The Silence who jumped down onto the deck of The Blood Arrow were of such a bad luck that they fell dead as soon as they appeared on the galley, each one with an arrow in their carotid arteries, and they were gurgling black blood. Another two fell when the captain emptied his second pistol, and then Ygritte, Jon, Arya and Tormund engaged few of Euron's crewmen who got down onto the deck with ropes, while captain reloaded his crossbow pistols. He took the lives of four other Ironborn pirates from The Silence, but Euron himself jumped behind him in the next moment and, before the captain had time to act, Euron cleaved his skull in two with the blade of his two-handed battle axe. Captain fell on the deck, dead, and then Euron walked over to Tormund, who was closest to him, while Tormund just cut down two of the sailors from Euron's war galley. Brienne, having killed three of Ironborn pirates thanks to her height and her skill with a sword, ran over to help Tormund, while ser Davos, Arya, Jon and Ygritte stood back to back, surrounded by other crewmen of The Silence; Ygritte was unable to use her bow and arrows, so she returned her bow on her back and unsheathed her dagger. A sharp crack was heard and a leather string of a whip hit her hand, forcing her to drop the dagger, and then Euron's pirate who was the closest to her grabbed her fur jacket with his right hand, slapping her with the back of his left hand over the face, so a tiny trickle of blood ran down her chin from her broken lip. The pirate unsheathed the dagger and cut the string of her bow and the leather harness that held her quiver of arrows, making the rest of her weapons fall down onto the deck and then other two grabbed her arms, taking her away as their hostage, one of them holding a blade of his dagger to Ygritte's throat. - She will go to King's Landing with us as the hostage of Captain Euron - the pirate hissed - Queen Cersei will welcome having a prisoner like your woman - he glared at the reluctant Jon, who still held Longclaw in his hands - in the dungeons in the Red Keep... Don't think about trying to follow us, or she dies! - And with that, they dragged her away, she was struggling to free herself from their grip, but unsuccesfully... - Jon! JON! - she yelled, but one of the pirates that held her punched her in the mouth with his fist, so forcefully that she spat out a few of her broken teeth and a couple of drops of blood, her eyes tearing slightly from the blow she received. - Hold your tongue, b*tch, or I'll cut your throat where you stand and leave your corpse here to rot in the sight of your man! - the pirate growled, his face so close to her that his stinking, rotten breath made her stomach gag and for a moment she had a feeling like she was going to throw up from the smell of the man's breath, or fall unconscious...


	15. Into The Beyond

Jon, Arya, ser Davos, Brienne and Tormund stood there on the deck, gripping their weapons, but hesitating to make even a slightest move for fear that Euron's pirates might harm Ygritte; Jon, in particular was worried for his wife's life, fighting an inside fighting between standing here like a statue, or trying to kill a couple of pirates, and mayhaps he might succeed in trying to save Ygritte from fate worse than death, to be taken to King's Landing and become the prisoner of Cersei Lannister... However, before either of the five of them could make a move to try to rescue Ygritte, she used the chance when all of the pirates' attention was turned to the climbing ropes they used to get down from the deck of The Silence to the deck of Blood Arrow, and she used their diminished attention onto her and headbutted the one of the three who were holding her arms to ensure that she does not try to free herself; she broke his nose, elbowed another in his stomach and ran back over to Jon, grabbing her bow and quiver of arrows from where they lay down on the deck, pulled an arrow out, aimed and fired, right through the man's throat; it was the third pirate, the one who threatened Jon that he will cut her throat and leave her dead body for him to mourn. Seeing Ygritte back to safety among them Jon, Arya, ser Davos and Brienne attacked Euron and his men, cutting 2-3 of them down, and in the next moment Euron yelled for the others to retreat, and they climbed the ropes back up onto the main deck of The Silence and rowed away. - We will meet again, and when we do, you will feel the reckoning of the Ironborn! - Euron screamed in anger, threatening them with his clenched fists, while The Silence slowly moved away from The Blood Arrow... Jon, Arya and Ygritte grabbed the dead captain's body with their joined forces and threw him overboard, and in a few minutes his body slowly sank to the bottom....

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The first light of dawn appeared on the horizon when The Blood Arrow sailed into the White Harbor, and the six passengers disembarked and looked for the same tavern they ate in before they sailed to Dragonstone the day before, to inform the owner that his friend, the captain, died during the attack of the Ironborn pirates led by Euron Greyjoy, and to ask for fresh horses. The tavern owner was sad, but thankful that they informed him, and he gave them six horses with no charge, only asking for Jon and the rest of his group to take care of them. Jon replied he will do everything that he can to keep the horses safe, and the others promised that as well and, after saying their goodbyes, they rode off, slowly, one by one... The six passengers returned to Winterfell in the early hours after the middle of the day, slowly riding through the gates and into the training courtyard... When they got out of the saddles, Arya noticed a tall man with long dark hair that fell to his shoulders and thick dark beard, one half of his face horribly burned, and two men with long dirty blonde hair, one of the two had his hair tied in a knot on the top of his balding head, the other one wore a black leather eyepatch over his left eye, and they also had thick dirty blonde beards; all three men wore leather tunics and knee-high boots, thick breeches and were armed with long swords in leather sheaths. The man with a burned face was Sandor 'The Hound' Clegane, former sworn shield to late prince Joffrey, the one with a top knot was the Red Priest, Thoroy of Myr, and the man with an eyepatch was lord Beric Dondarrion. All of a sudden, Arya's view wandered away towards the smithy, where she saw a young man with short cropped black hair and blue eyes, dressed in a dark yellow thick shirt, leather vest, thick breeches and boots, and he was just making a sword... - Gendry? - Arya muttered, seeing her old friend here, after the few years she had not had seen him, after he was taken away as the prisoner of Stannis Baratheon. She walked over towards the smithy... - M'lady? - Gendry was slightly shocked when he saw Arya standing there. - Hello, Gendry - Arya whispered - we haven't seen each other for a few years - she said. He walked closer, still holding a hammer in his right hand, and then he hugged Arya with his left... - I'm glad to see you're alive - he said. - And I'm glad to see that you are, as well - she replied. - So, m'lady still carries a sword, huh? - he grinned. - Hey! - Arya punched him in the chest, playfully - I told you not to call me 'M'lady'! - she said angrily, although the corner of her mouth twitching indicated that she was rather amused as well, barely stopping herself from smiling. - As m'lady commands - Gendry laughed slightly, amused as well, and then Arya laughed along with him for a few moments...

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Next dawn, on the morrow, a group of people gathered in the training courtyard of Winterfell, all of them wearing leather and furs, armed mostly with swords, there were nine of them; Jon, a knight with slightly wrinkled face, dark blonde hair and thick stubble who, Jon realized, was ser Jorah Mormont, who was exiled from the North a few years ago by the decree of his uncle Ned Stark after ser Jorah sold a few poachers to an Essosi slaver, The Hound, Tormund, Thoros of Myr, lord Beric, Ygritte, Arya and Gendry, who carried with him a warhammer that once belonged to his father, king Robert Baratheon. The warriors mounted their horses and they rode off towards southeast, to Eastwatch-by-the Sea, and it took them a few hours to arrive. Once there, they got down from the saddles, left the horses and walked inside a long, dark tunnel that led into the wilderness on the other side of the Wall. They got out of the tunnel on the other side of the door, and they went right into a ferocious snowstorm outside of the borderline of the Seven Kingdoms, where the real North began, and they walked into the storm, slowly but bravely, because their thick winter clothes and fur lined hoods they pulled over their heads meant that the storm was no more than a small hindrance to all of them...


	16. Fighting The Wights

The nine warriors were walking through the dense pine tree forest located in the vicinity of Frostfangs, not too far from the Skirling Pass where the Free Folk settlement in which Ygritte brought Jon after he fell in her ambush and was captured by Rattleshirt's group, alongside Qhorin Halfhand, a few years ago was. After a few hours' walk, they left the forest and found themselves on the shores of the frozen lake, which looked strangely familiar to Jon, and then he remembered and turned towards Ygritte, who walked behind him, with a smile on his lips - Ygritte - he said to his wife - do you remember our first time here together, where there were just the two of us? Things between us at the time were not as they are today, I remember you telling me that we in the Seven Kingdoms think of your people as savages, because your people don't live in stone castles. Sure, you said, your people's steel is not as good as ours, but you're free, and that... - You can be free, too - Ygritte continued - that I can teach ya 'how t' do it, and then ya said that ya know 'how t' do it, an' then I said... - 'You know nothing, Jon Snow'- they said that in unison and smiled lovingly at each other. An hour later, they stopped for a short break, and Ygritte decided to tell some of the others the story of a few other times that she exchanged playful japes with Jon. - I asked 'im once - she said - if 'is Crows 'ad sheep at the Wall, and 'e said no. 'So the lads jus' do it with each other?' - I asked 'im. 'Never', 'e said, an' I was surprised t' 'ear tha' 'appenin'. 'With your 'ands, then' - I said - 'no wonder ya'll all so miserable.' - Thoros, Jon, Tormund and Arya cracked a smile hearing Ygritte's story, and the next story she told, about how she tried to seduce Jon, had the four of them laughing quite loudly... - 'An' then 'e spread me legs an'...ruined! I can show ya the bruise on me tailbone! Now I can never marry a perfumed lord, what would me poor savage father say?' - she told them, her voice a bit high pitched for the neccessity of the story, and a loud laugh broke from out of their throats. - I like you, lass - Thoros said when the laughter died down - and I thought that your people are good only for waging wars and pillaging the Seven Kingdoms... Of course, I am not a Westerosi, but rather a foreigner from Essos over the sea, so don't take me for granted - he said. All of a sudden, Arya remembered Anguy, the young archer that was with the Brotherhood Without Banners when they held Arya, Gendry and Hot Pie in captivity, and she asked Thoros about him. - It was a few days ago after we left ya, after that boy you befriended was taken by Stannis - Thoros said - we got ambushed by a Lannister patrol that late afternoon, jumping onto us from the bushes near that inn in the Riverlands, ambushing us. Anguy managed to kill a few Lannisters with his arrows, but a giant of a man came at the poor lad, and he cut him in half with that overlarge two-handed sword he carried with him, and it wasn't a pretty sight, lass - Thoros said and shook his head sadly. - The Mountain - Arya muttered, frowning slightly. They heard a low growl in the air, and those who had their backs turned on the left bank of the lake, slowly turned to see what that was... They noticed a large white form walking slowly towards them, and after a few moments they realized it was a white furred bear, but there was something unusual about him or her; they didn't knew if it was a male or a female bear... It closed the distance between itself and the group, slowly, and when it came a bit closer, Jon was the first one to realize what was wrong with it; there were holes in the bear skin, showing bones and internal organs inside, and its eyes were icy blue, the bear was a wight... It came a few bits closer to them, and it started growling, quietly at first, and it became more louder by the second. - Get your weapons ready - Jon whispered to the rest of the group; Beric asked Thoros to lit their sword blades, and then the two men's sword blades were burning with bright flame. - Now! - Jon yelled, running over towards the wight bear and hacking at it with Longclaw; Jorah and Tormund started cutting it with their blades, Ygritte fired an arrow into its head...

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DRAGONSTONE

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I am going to ride North on Drogon's back - Daenerys told Tyrion - and I am taking Rhaegal and Viserion with me as well, just in case I need them. - Yes, Your Grace - Tyrion nodded and bowed. Daenerys climbed onto Drogon's back, and the large dragon took of, slowly; the other two dragons followed a couple of moments later, and Tyrion stood on the edge of the cliff, watching them fly until the moment they disappeared from his sight.

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The Hound, Gendry and ser Jorah were crouched around Thoros, who was dying slowly after the wight bear made a particularly vicious scratch on with its paw on his neck and chest, its claws so sharp that they even turned his thick clothes into tattered rags. The four men were in the back of a small cliff they all climbed onto when the army of wights started surrounding them, coming from all directions from the banks and slowly walking over the frozen surface of the lake... The rest of them were in the front, cutting down a wight whenever one of them came closer to any of the warriors in the group. - Mormont - Thoros whispered - you go in the front with the group, and send Beric here, you take his place in the front - he said; ser Jorah nodded and left towards the front. Beric came a few moments later, the blade of his sword still aflame. - Please - Thoros whispered, barely audibly - press you blade to my wound... - Beric turned the blade of his sword sideways and lightly put it onto Thoros' bare, blood covered chest. - Nnnnnggggghhhhh! It hurts! - Thoros moaned loudly in pain, and after a few moments his body became still; he was dead. - JON!!! - Ygritte yelled loudly and in fright; few wights surrounded her and they started scratching at her, ripping her clothes and trying to take her with them; she was so closely surrounded by them that it was not possible for her to use her bow and arrows. In the next moment the blade of Longclaw flashed, decapitating two of the wights, and Jon grabbed Ygritte's hand and pulled her into a tight hug with one hand, still holding Longclaw in the other...

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Dracarys! - Daenerys yelled loudly, sitting on Drogon's back, and the dragon opened his mouth and blew a torrent of fire on a few dozens of wights gathered close to one another; he, Rhaegal and Viserion flew over the heads of Jon's group in low flight... The three dragons landed on a thin surface of the frozen lake, and then Jorah, Gendry, Beric and Tormund climbed onto Rhaegal, while Ygritte, Arya and The Hound sat onto Viserion's back, one behind the other. - Jon! - Ygritte yelled - come on! Hurry up! - she extended her hand to her husband, for Jon to grab it, while he still fought off a few wights... - Go, Ygritte! - he yelled back - save yourself and Arya! - No! - Ygritte yelled again, her eyes filling with tears - I'm not goin' back without you! - Please, Ygritte! - Jon pleaded, his eyes filling with tears as well - I beg you, do as I say! I... - he did not have had the chance to finish what he was saying, because the two wights grabbed him from behind and pulled him with them, all three of them falling through the thin ice cover, that cracked under their combined weight, and into the freezing cold water below. - JON!!! - Ygritte yelled worriedly and desperately, tears now falling freely down her cheeks, and she jumped down from Viserion's back, unsheathed her dragonglass dagger and cut down a pair of wights nearest to her. - Ygritte! What are you doing?!? - Daenerys yelled at the wild girl in shock. - I'm not goin' back without 'im! - Ygritte cried - I''d rather stay 'ere an' fight, no matter if I die, atleast I'll rejoin 'im in death! - Then I'm staying too! - Arya jumped down from Rhaegal's back, standing at Ygritte's side - we will fight side-by-side, and we will die together fighting to avenge Jon, if we are destined for that... - Thank you, Arya - Ygritte nodded, her eyes still a bit teary... -M'lady?!? - Gendry gripped his war hammer and jumped down from Rhaegal's back, standing next to Arya - you go back to Eastwatch or Castle Black without us. We three will stay here and fight - he said to Daenerys and the others, and she ordered the three dragons to rise into the air, slowly... Before they did, however, The Hound got off from Viserion's back and moved to sit on Rhaegal, along with Jorah, Beric and Tormund. The dragons rose in the air and flew towards northeast. Suddenly, Viserion let out a loud screech of pain and he started falling towards the ground; Daenerys looked behind her for a moment, watching as one of her dragons fell towards the surface of the frozen lake and sank down slowly and then, before they disappeared from her sight, she glanced once more at Ygritte, Arya and Gendry, the three of them standing with their weapons ready, while the numerous wights closed in onto them...


	17. The Mysterious Rescuer

Standing on the low rock above the frozen surface of the lake, Arya, Ygritte and Gendry gripped their weapons firmly, waiting for the wights and White Walkers to attack; who was going to make the first move? Arya gripped her Valyrian steel assassin's dagger with one hand and her sword, Needle, with the other, Ygritte pulled the bowstring almost to the point of snapping, and Gendry gripped the handle of his warhammer with both hands so tightly that his knuckles became white from the strength of the grip. A moment later, wights started climbing the rock, surrounding the three warriors, who in return started dealing defensive blows, Arya stabbed them in the hearts one by one with her dagger, Ygritte shot her arrows through their necks and carotid arteries, and Gendry was breaking their skulls with his hammer. They were tiring quickly, however, because for every wight they killed five more would have taken its place. One of them pulled Ygritte down from the cliff, suddenly, and it caught her around the throat, trying to strangle her, when a sword blade passed through its heart, killing him... - Here, grab my hand - Ygritte saw Jon standing in front of her, Longclaw in his left hand, his right extended towards her to help her get back up onto her feet, and he shivered slightly from head to toe, still a bit wet with icy cold water below the frozen surface of the lake. - 'Ow did ya got out from out o' the lake? - Ygritte asked him, feeling a bit of a shock. - I-I c-c-climbed up t-through t-t-the hole I f-fell through, g-grabbing o-onto the h-hilt of m-my s-sword, Longclaw - he said, his teeth chattering... - Ygritte grabbed his hand and got back to her feet; Jon helped her get back up onto the cliff, and then he gripped the hilt of Longclaw with both hands, still shivering slightly, and he stood with his back against the cliff, so that wights could not attack him from behind. In the next moment, however, the wights started turning away from him, and a few moments later some of them fell down, knocked in the head with an iron ball with flames lit inside... The ball was attached to a chain held in the hands of a mysterious rider dressed in black from head to toe, he even wore a black hood and had his lower face covered with a black woolen scarf. The man jumped down from the saddle of his gigantic black steed and passed its reins, and the reins of a red-and-brown furred horse into Jon's hands. - Here, get in the saddles and leave! - the man told Jon, Arya, Ygritte and Gendry. - Who are you? - Jon asked a moment later, after he and Ygritte got in the saddle of the black steed, while Gendry and Arya climbed into the saddle of another horse. - Someone you thought was lost for a long time - the black clad man replied, removing the scarf from his nose and mouth; underneath it he had a pale, bearded face and a pair of crystal clear blue eyes... - Uncle Benjen - Jon gasped. Benjen Stark smiled shortly at his nephew and the others, and then he slapped his horse' behind with his gloved hand... - Go! - he yelled. - Come with us - Jon pleaded, but Ben waved his head. - There is no time, and a horse cannot carry three people on its back - he replied - go! - he yelled once more. The two horses rode away with their four passengers, and Jon and Arya glanced behind their back for a moment; the wights closed in onto Ben Stark, and he killed a few more wights before they overwhelmed him because of their greater numbers; the two Stark siblings looked in front of the again, closed their eyes and tears started falling down their cheeks...

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Tormund, ser Jorah, Beric and Daenerys were intently looking down at the snow covered ground from the top of one of the watchtowers in Eastwatch, expectantly awaiting if they will see Jon, Ygritte, Arya and Gendry returning alive... Few minutes later they noticed two horses, each carrying two riders on the back, slowly approaching closer to the fortress wall... - Raise the gates! - Tormund yelled, looking behind him Dolorous Edd nodded and ran off towards the wooden staircase that led into the courtyard below to inform the others... The two brothers of the Watch helped Jon, who was still half frozen, despite his shivering being less noticeable than before, to get off from the saddle, and they took him inside, removed his clothes and laid him down into the warm bed, covering him with wolf pelts, and a wooden barrel that stood next to the bed was used like an improvised fireplace. - How is he? - Daenerys stopped Ygritte in the hallway in front of Jon's bedchamber. - 'e fell through, bu' was able t' swim out rather quickly and 'e saved me from the wight tha' wanted t' strangle me - Ygritte replied, a bit angrily. - Ygritte - Daenerys spoke - I'm sorry. - Why? - Ygritte was surprised. - I overreacted a lot when I first saw you two walking into my Throne Room at Dragonstone - Daenerys replied - I was haughty and I apologize for acting towards you and Jon the way like my late brother Viserys acted towards me in certain ways - she said. Ygritte just gave her a short nod in reply and opened the door of Jon's bedchamber. He was asleep, and she slowly removed the thick covers from his body; he was naked to his waist, and for a moment her fingers traced the scars on his abdomen... - Ygritte - he whispered after he opened his eyes and saw her standing there... She removed her weapons, putting them in the corner above his bed, and then she removed her fur jacket and started undressing herself... 


	18. Ride To Winterfell

t was later on the morn, the following day, when one of the black brothers ran down the stairs and into Edd's solar he had at the Eastwatch in addition to the one at Castle Black to inform the Lord Commander that a combined army consisting of a several hundred Dothraki on horsebacks and the Unsullied following behind, walking in a fast pace, were nearing the Eastwatch, and Edd ran off to inform Daenerys, Jon, Arya, Ygritte and the other guests he had about the army's arrival. Jon thanked him and then he and the others who carried weapons left to gather their stuff and arm themselves, because they were leaving Eastwatch and then they were to ride to Winterfell, in an hour's time... Daenerys was the only one who did not carried a sword, dagger or anything else, because she confided in her two dragons, Drogon and Rhaegal, and the army of a few hundred Unsullied and Dothraki at her disposal, army led by Grey Worm and a Dothraki khal whose name she didn't remember at the time being... She rode in front of others as the Queen of the Six Kingdoms and mistress of their strongholds (Casterly Rock, Storm's End, Highgarden, The Eyrie, Sunspear...) Jon and Ygritte rode right behind her, as the King and the Queen in the North, followed by Arya, Mistress-At-Arms of Winterfell, Gendry, who was their new blacksmith, Tormund who was now Jon's Captain of the Guard, and the rest of the army followed behind... Drogon and Rhaegal were swooping overhead above the army in mid-flight, some among the gathered smallfolk of Winterfell pointed their fingers in the air in amazement, shock and even a slight bit of fear while the army rode through Wintertown...

************

THE GREAT HALL

WINTERFELL

************

Sometime later, after the commanders of the newly arrived army freshened up and gathered their bearings, Arya, Brienne, Daenerys, Jon and Ygritte (who were sitting at the center of the high table as the King and the Queen), Sansa, Bran and Tormund were sitting in their designated seats, while Bronze Yohn Royce, lord Robett Glover, lady Lyanna Mormont, ser Jorah, Gendry, Beric and the rest of them sat on the benches in the middle of the Hall, closer to the doors that led out of it... - I told you several days ago that we need the King in the North here, in the North - small but brazen and courageous Lyanna spoke loudly - so are Your Graces King Jon of Houses Stark and Targaryen and Queen Ygritte of House Stark and the Free Folk beyond the Wall still the King and the Queen, or have you two bend your knees and swore loyalty to Queen of the Six Kingdoms and the Khaleesi of the Dothraki, Daenerys of House Targaryen, the Mother of Dragons, receiving the titles of Lord and Lady of Winterfell in return for your allegiance? - My knees do not bend so easily, my lady Mormont - Jon replied. - And neither do mine, m'lady - Ygritte replied. - We have a problem - Sansa spoke next - we have gathered food and other necessities to be used by people, it is about food, particularly, we will starve ourselves to death if we use all our food supplies to feed two full grown dragons. What do the dragons eat, anyway? - she asked in exasperation. - Whatever they want - Daenerys replied coolly... 

************

A lone rider approached Winterfell from the northeast, later in the afternoon. A long sword in a sheath was attached to the front right side on the horse' saddle, and the rider had a long, rough hooded cloak with which he covered his head to protect it from the tiny flakes of snow that started falling, slowly... Few minutes later, Jaime Lannister rode inside the training courtyard of Winterfell, for the second time in his life; the first time was when he rode North with the rest of the late king Robert Baratheon's entourage, when Robert paid a visit to Winterfell to name Ned Stark his new Hand after the death of Jon Arryn... Jaime glanced at a red haired girl dressed in heavy furs, armed with a bow and a quiver of arrows, she had her back turned on him and was talking with a man dressed in black, with curly dark hair and stubble, and it took Jaime a few seconds to recognize the man as Jon Snow, now being a few years older. Jaime got down from the saddle, removed his hood to reveal a slightly wrinkled face of a man with blue eyes and short cropped hair and beard of brown-and-blonde color, interspersed with one or two gray hairs here and there, mostly at his temples. He turned and froze in disbelief; the dark haired boy - no, he corrected himself, a young man, now - sat in the masterly crafted wheelchair a couple of paces away from Jaime, watching him intently, almost as if his eyes could look into the Kingslayer's very soul, and it made him feel bare and uncomfortable, he had to use all of his will power not to avert his gaze from the man he pushed through the window in the rundown stone tower here in Winterfell several years ago...


	19. The Battle For Winterfell (Part I)

The night began to fall slowly over the battlements and rooftops of Winterfell. The Great Hall was almost empty, except for the two Lannister brothers, Jaime and Tyrion, drinking and talking. - So what does our sister dearest plans to do in King's Landing? - Tyrion asked. - I don't know - Jaime replied, waving his head - the last time I saw her, she was trying to halt me leaving, for a second I feared that she will order ser Gregor to cleave me in half with that big ass sword of his. - And maybe she plans to send a man you promised a castle to kill you - a mocking voice spoke from the shadows and a man with long, thin face, unkempt black hair and a thick stubble walked in the range of a torch; he was armed with a sword and a crossbow... - Bronn! - Tyrion exclaimed in surprise, looking at his former sworn sword standing there - I guess that our dear sister hired you to kill us both, Jaime and me, did she not? - he asked. - She did, Imp - Bronn scoffed - and she offered me Highgarden in return. - You could do better than trusting my dear sister, Bronn - Tyrion replied - if you leave us alive, you could have the opportunity to turn Casterly Rock upside down from rooftops to the dungeons, from top to bottom. Every jewel, every gold dragon and silver stag you find will be yours, I swear to you on my honor as a Lannister; we always pay our debts. - And yet there is a debt to me that is still left unpaid - Bronn replied sarcastically. - I promise you, Bronn, after the war is over, all you want you name it, and you will get it - Tyrion replied; Bronn put the crossbow onto the table, sat down, pulled himself a cup and poured the wine in it, taking a long sip which emptied out almost the whole cup. 

************

With a loud screech, the wight Viserion flew over the battlements and towers of Winterfell, the Night King riding on its back, his cold blue eyes scanning the surroundings around the castle. Down below, the armies started pouring out into the training courtyard at first, and then running out through the Southern and Eastern Gate; the Dothraki, Unsullied, soldiers of House Stark, all of them putting their armors on and arming themselves... Bronn, Jaime and Tyrion ran out of the Great Hall as well, Bronn carrying his crossbow, Jaime unsheathing his sword; they spotted Jon, Ygritte, Arya, ser Jorah and Tormund running out as well. Ygritte pulled an arrow, aimed and released while Viserion did another flight over above the battlements, but her arrow flew away into emptiness... - Save your arrows, lass - Bronn suggested dryly - you'll need them when those icy dead cunts start pouring out at us and attack us. - Aye - Ygritte commented with a short nod of her head. A dead rider and horse appeared across the Northern gates of Winterfell, one hundred meters in the distance; the horse' hooves kicked the ground aggressively. Ser Davos, Sam, Gilly, Lyanna Mormont, Bronze Yohn Royce, lord Robett Glover, they all started coming out into the courtyard as the large army of wights and White Walkers started approaching closer to the gates of Winterfell at a slow pace... In the corner by the stables, near the smithy, Missandei and Grey Worm exchanged a short kiss before he put his helmet on and left to stand in front of his soldiers; seeing the commotion in the courtyard, Gendry put down the hammer and tongs he held, walked over to the corner of the smithy and grabbed his warhammer, gripping it tightly with both hands... The Dothraki Blood Riders on horsebacks rode out in front of the gates, holding their arakhs, closely followed by the Unsullied, armed with spears and round shields; a woman in red appeared in front of the Dothraki, grabbing the blade of the khal's arakh and saying something in a strange language; in the next moment, all blades of the arakhs started burning as one! - _**Valar Morghulis**_ \- Melisandre spoke calmly to Grey Worm, greeting him before the beginning of the battle. - _**Valar Dohaeris**_ \- Grey Worm returned the greeting, and then Melisandre rode back inside the sturdy stone walls of Winterfell... Inside the courtyard Jon, Arya, Ygritte, Tormund, ser Davos, ser Jorah and Gendry climbed up in the saddles of their horses and then they rode out, slowly, unsheathing their weapons, while Beric and Edd escorted Sansa, Tyrion, Sam and Gilly to hide in the crypts, and they too came back a few moments later, jumped into the saddles and rode out after the others; The Hound, who remained behind, ran to the crypts, intent on protecting Sansa; all the gods, the old and the new, be damned to all hells if he lets his little bird to have even a hair missing from her head, Sandor Clegane thought, unsheathing his sword as he ran down the stairs...


	20. The Battle For Winterfell (Part II)

The Dothraki spurred their horses into a gallop as per ser Jorah's orders, brandishing their flaming arakhs; they rode forward into darkness for a few moments, and then...nothing. The flame of their blades went out, and when the darkness of the night obscured the forms of men and horses... - Pull back! - Jon yelled - we have to pull back! - They turned their horses and rode towards the gates of Winterfell, and Jon looked behind his back for a moment; numerous wights started running after them in close pursuit... When they were near the northern gate, all of the Unsullied turned back, facing the charging wights, and they all went down to their knee as one, putting their spears in horizontal position, steel tips turned towards the decayed bodies of the wights... Few of them practically threw themselves onto the sharp tips of the Unsullied' spears, growling quietly but ferociously as the spear tips pierced them. Yelling orders in High Valyrian, Grey Worm ordered his soldiers to form two defensive wings, one on the left and one on the right, and to let the wights pass between them and into the courtyard of Winterfell, where the rest of the defenders will take care of them. As the wights ran into the courtyard, there were a few of the commanders forming a defense line: Jon, Ygritte, Arya, ser Jorah, Tormund and ser Davos... Ser Jorah was armed with Heartsbane, a Valyrian steel sword of House Tarly, which Sam gave to him, and as for how the sword found itself in Sam's hands, he stole it when he visited Horn Hill two years ago, when his late father, lord Randyll, honored his son with words of scorn and disgust, and Sam was not the only one who got such treatment, his wife Gilly was also a target of Randyll Tarly's anger... Back in the present, ser Jorah's horse was caught between a couple of wights who started ripping its flesh with their talons, so Jorah was forced to jump down from the saddle and fight on foot... Jon and Ygritte stood back to back, he held Longclaw in his hands, she gripped her dragonglass dagger, and they were surrounded by a dozen of wights. Two of them charged, only to have their heads smashed by a powerful swing of a war hammer, and then Gendry appeared, gripping the hammer in his hands, he was slightly bloodied and wounded, but he had a wide grin on his face... - Look out! - Ygritte yelled to warn him, and he turned in time to ram the head of his hammer into the wight's midriff, the blow of the hammer breaking all of its bones... - Let's get out of here - Jon said and he, Ygritte and Gendry ran away to look if there were some of their fellow fighters who might need help against their undead enemies. Drogon and Rhaegal appeared in the night air all of a sudden, screeching loudly; Daenerys rode on Drogon's back. - Dracarys! - she yelled in a loud commanding voice, and the two dragons started breathing fire onto the wights, burning a few dozens of them at once, while they flew around both the courtyard and outside of the walls... - Ygritte! - Jon yelled in fear and worry when Rhaegal flew over his and his wife''s head, almost burning her... - I'm okay, Jon Sn... Stark! - she yelled in reply, almost having a mistake while she spoke, because she was immersed in the heat of battle. She cut down a few wights with her dagger and then she put it back into the sheath and removed her bow from her back once more. She started shooting her arrows at the oncoming wights to distract them while she retreated from the first lines of the battlefield... A wight giant charged into the courtyard, breaking all in his path; his eye was missing, and it didn't took long for Jon to recognize Wun Wun, whom Ramsay shot with an arrow in the eye while the giant helped Jon and his men to reclaim Winterfell from the Boltons... Wun Wun ran into the part of the courtyard where Gendry and Arya were killing wights, Gendry was breaking their bones with his hammer, Arya stabbed them with her assassins dagger whose blade was made of Valyrian steel. Battle lasted for hours, the Unsullied were falling, ripped apart by wights, Beric had a couple of life threatening wounds made by the wights' talons, Jorah Mormont cut down wights with the blade of Heartsbane despite bleeding heavily from the wound on his torso, his leather breastplate was an insufficient defense again the wights' claws and teeth... In the crypts, Sandor Clegane and Brienne of Tarth were fighting ferociously against the wights that managed to broke inside, but in vain, because it seemed that for every wight they killed two more replaced the one that was killed... One moment of lessened attention, and the few wights moved onto Sansa, ripping her clothes and the skin underneath apart; Tyrion tried to defend her, grabbing a dagger of a fallen Stark soldier from the floor and hacking at the thigh of the nearest wight, only to receive a heavy slash across the chest from the wight's talons, and he drew himself in the corner, hissing quietly in pain. The Hound hacked with his blade at the wight that injured Sansa, cleaving it in two, but its upper half started crawling towards him over the floor of the crypts; managing to overcome his fear of fire for a couple of seconds, Sandor Clegane grabbed a lit torch from an iron wall holder and pushed it into the wight's face, screaming - Die, you undead cunt! - The wight screeched in pain while its face burned, and it became still a few moments later... - Khaleesi... - dying Jorah Mormont barely managed to whisper - I... I have always been loyal to... to you, even when you decided to banish m-me for... for my alleged treachery of... of y-you... - he became still in her arms a moment later, and Daenerys buried her face in his armor and sobbed loudly...


	21. The Price Of Victory

Dawn arose over the battlements of Winterfell; dawn filled with anguish and sadness despite the victory over the Night King and his army: Arya herself attacked the Night King from behind in the Godswood, using her brother Bran to lure him into a trap, jumping from the weirwood tree and stabbing the Night King into the chest; he exploded into the millions of tiny pieces of ice, the other White Walkers following a second later, while the wights started falling from the walls and battlements of Winterfell... The dead bodies of ser Jorah, Lyanna Mormont, Beric Dondarrion, Dolorous Edd Tollett, Sansa Stark, a few Dothraki and Unsullied whose bodies were found after the enemy army was destroyed, and Tyrion Lannister were piled up on the oil soaked logs and Jon, Tormund, Arya, Ygritte and se Davos were holding the lit torches. Slowly, they walked over to the piled up bodies and lit the logs; the fire started swallowing the fallen, burning brightly thanks to the poured oil... Ygritte, Arya, Brienne, Missandei and Daenerys were crying, while Jon, Tormund, ser Davos and Grey Worm were watching the fire eating the bodies of the dead, and they wore heavy frowns on their faces. - Those people who are burning gave their lives for the freedom of the North from the Night King and his army of wights and the White Walkers - Jon spoke solemnly - their watch has ended. - THEIR WATCH HAS ENDED! - all of the gathered mourners spoke in unison, and then they all turned and left to go back inside of the stone walls of Winterfell. 

**************************************

THE LAST MARCH TO KING'S LANDING

***************************************

Two days later, the remains of the Army of the North were ready to march to King's Landing to try to talk Cersei Lannister into abdicating from the Iron Throne and leave the spot empty so that Daenerys could sit upon the Throne, and they were going to use any means necessary, even if they had to force her to leave. The commanders of the Northern Army (Jon, Ygritte, Arya and Tormund) sat on horsebacks in front of the gates and walls of Winterfell, and behind them followed Daenerys on Drogon's back, Drogon and Rhaegal, ser Davos, Brienne, The Hound, Grey Worm and Missandei, and the army comprised of approximately 300 Unsullied, a few dozens of Dothraki Blood Riders and several hundreds Stark soldiers and a dozen of Free Folk, and they were ready to march to the White Harbor, where the commanders were to board the galley that will take them to King's Landing, while the rest of the army will reach the capital travelling down the King's Road from the North... They reached the White Harbor by early hours of the afternoon, and then Jon, Arya, Ygritte, Brienne, ser Davos, Tormund, Gendry, Grey Worm and Missandei got onboard the small war galley while the rest of their army took stride on foot and left to go South. Ser Davos was at the wheel, expertly handling the ship like he did a few years ago, at the battle of Blackwater Bay when he served as Stannis Baratheon's right hand man... They traveled in peace for hours, all the way before the dusk slowly started falling, a dusk that will turn into the darkness of the night very soon... Traveling from the North to King's Landing was much faster when one went by ship than it was on the horseback, and so they were in the vicinity of Blackwater Bay the following day, while the night fell slowly all around them, and with night, came the large fleet of war galleys, led by The Silence, Euron Greyjoy standing on the bow of his gigantic war galley, gripping his double bladed war axe... On the left and right of The Silence were a dozen or so of smaller war galleys, their sails were of a dark purple color and on the front were embroidered seven dark yellow skulls and a blood red spear with a leaf like tip... That was the sigil of a sellsword group from Essos, called The Golden Company, they were led by a man in his mid-thirties, dressed in a knee-length leather tunic and cloth pants, and black knee high leather boots, he had a shoulder length yellow-and-brown hair, and he was armed with a sword with long curved blade. The man was Harry Strickland, the Captain of the Golden Company, and he was here at Cersei's behest, same as Euron Greyjoy... On the bow of every ship of the fleet was mounted a gigantic crossbow, popularly known as scorpion, the heavy iron bolts they fired were used for destroying the ships from the enemy fleet or for knocking dragons out of the sky, among other purposes... 

************

The battle lasted almost whole night. Jon and his crew fought bravely against Euron and Strickland and their soldiers, but one of Euron's men destroyed their small galley with the scorpion, so they were forced to keep themselves afloat on the surface of the sea, gripping onto the wet logs of the wreckage of their galley for the rest of the night... When the dawn arose, Grey Worm looked around and realized that Missandei was not among them...


	22. The Last Attack Begins

The shipwreckers harnessed what little strength they had had left and swam towards the beach of Blackwater Bay, the last ounce of their physical strength leaving them when they reached the shore... They rested for a short time, gathering their strength back, and then, just as they started getting up and wiping the sand from the shore off of their clothes, they saw the fleet under Cersei's command dropping anchors at the open sea and a boat being lowered from one of the ships, and Jon guessed that they were transporting captured Missandei into the city with that boat... They ran to hide while the boat was halfway near the shore, and they watched as the boat neared and then Euron and Strickland each grabbed Missandei by one arm and led her inside the city, she walked between her captors with her head lowered in defeat... The gates closed behind them, and Jon started thinking about what he could do to try and sneak inside the city with the others, so that they could mayhaps try to rescue Daenerys' personal interpreter and close friend from the claws of Cersei Lannister... The hours were passing by, and somewhere between mid-afternoon Jon saw a thick cloud of dust on the Kingsroad; he hoped that that was his army nearing the capital, or else there was going to be a lot of trouble for all of them... Inwardly, he breathed with relief when he saw a pair of dragons swooping in low flight above the heads of the army of a few hundred people, and a white-and-green Stark banner with a grey direwolf's head sigil on it. He and the rest of his fellow passengers went out of their hiding spot and stood with the others, so now Jon, Ygritte, Arya, The Hound, Grey Worm and Tormund were standing in front of the others, while ser Davos, Brienne and Daenerys stood behind, and the rest of the army, made of the Dothraki, Unsullied, Stark men and a few Wildlings came after them; Drogon and Rhaeagal floated low in the air. - The King and Queen in the North order Cersei of House Lannister to tell her army to drop down their weapons and surrender, and to set Missandei, the Royal Interpreter and friend of Queen Daenerys of House Targaryen, free! - Arya yelled, serving as Jon and Ygritte's royal messenger... Cersei smirked with contempt, standing on the battlements next to her bodyguard ser Gregor 'The Mountain' Clegane and her maester and Hand of the King, Qyburn; she looked to her right, towards ser Gregor, and nodded. He stepped aside, revealing that Missandei stood behind him, her wrists shackled, and he pushed her in front of him, unsheathing his sword a moment later. - Ser Gregor - Cersei whispered, and he swung his sword, beheading Missandei; her decapitated body fell from the wooden platform on the battlements down in front of the gate at the beach... Grey Worm turned his head and closed his eyes with a painful grimace, shutting his eyes so that he could stop tears from coming... - Dracarys - Daenerys whispered softly, turning her back to the gate, and then Drogon and Rhaegal screeched loudly and menacingly, and each dragon blew a large stream of flame towards the gate, incinerating it; in the next moment, Harry Strickland and his men rode out, unsheathing their curved swords, right at the moment when the Unsullied, led by Grey Worm, started running towards the entrance to the city, gripping their spears and shields, Dothraki following close by... They ran over the Golden Company like the sea during the storm when the waves crash ashore, knocking them down from their horses, stabbing their necks, chest and stomachs with their spears, punching them in the faces with their round shields... Jon, Ygritte and Gendry ran inside next, Ygritte shooting the Lannister soldiers with her arrows, Gendry swinging his warhammer like a man possessed, breaking the Lannister men' armors and helmets, their faces a bloody mess after each swing of his hammer... Jon pierced the Lannisters' armors with Longclaw with such ease as when the knife passes through butter, ser Davos and Brienne cutting them down with their swords, Arya cutting their throats with her assassin's dagger or piercing through the unarmored parts of their bodies with the thin blade of Needle...Daenerys flew over towards the open sea on Drogon's back, towards the enemy fleet... - Dracarys! - she yelled again when Drogon and Rhaegal neared the first ship, The Silence, and he blew fire on it, destroying it; Euron barely had the time to jump from the deck into the water...


	23. The Mad Queen

The army moved through the streets of King's Landing almost unopposed, led by Jon, Ygritte, Arya, Tormund, ser Davos and Grey Worm; they were running through the streets, cutting down every Lannister soldier they ran into, the Dothraki, riding behind them, finishing every soldier that was by chance missed by the commanders... Daenerys flew high above their heads, ordering Drogon to burn everything that was in his reach, and soon many houses burned, there were even the burned corpses of old people, women, children... Jon and Arya moved through the soot and ash covered streets of King's Landing with horrified expressions, and even Ygritte was disgusted by what she saw... The streets were slippery with blood, full of corpses of smallfolk and Lannister soldiers alike, ser Davos, Tormund, Gendry and Brienne were equally horrified by the sights that awaited them... In the meantime, Euron reached the shore, still gripping his battle axe with his right hands, and Jaime Lannister awaited him there, sword in hand... - Well, well, if it isn't the Kingslayer - Euron grinned like a maniac, speaking mockingly... - Yes, and right now I see in front of me one more king to kill - Jaime replied. - Alright then, have at you! - Euron screamed and swung his axe; Jaime deflected the blow with his blade... Sandor Clegane ran through the streets, his sword unsheathed, and he ran into his brother... - Hello, Gregor - Sandor said quietly - remember when you burned my face when we were children? - he asked; Gregor just stared at his younger brother for a few moments with blood red eyes, and then he unsheathed his large sword and took a battle stance. - You were always ugly, big brother - Sandor growled angrily - even with my burns, I look prettier than you... DIE! - he yelled the last word and swung his sword towards Gregor; The Mountain deflected the blow turning his gigantic blade vertically in response to The Hound's horizontal swing... While they fought, Qyburn asked for Cersei to follow him and they moved down the stairs from the Red Keep and into the streets of King's Landing. Unfortunately for them, they ran into Arya, Jon and Ygritte... - You! - Arya hissed when she cast her eyes upon the bitch she despised from the bottom of her soul - remember me? - she growled, holding the dagger in plain sight. - Remember this? - she purred, intoxicated with thoughts about revenge; Cersei give a slight nod to Qyburn, and he moved forward, only to fall onto the dust covered street, dead, with Ygritte's arrow in his chest... With a powerful swing of his sword, The Mountain disarmed his brother, knocking the sword out of his hand and then he grabbed his head and started squeezing the Hound's eyes with his thumbs, trying to kill him in the same manner he killed prince Oberyn Martell of Dorne, The Red Viper, a couple of years ago... The Hound unsheathed his dagger and buried it into The Mountain's skull to the hilt. - Fucking die! - he growled, punching his brother's neck with his fists... At last, after a few moments The Mountain loosened his grip on The Hound's head, and Sandor rammed into him, throwing both himself and Gregor off of the edge of the highest tower in the Red Keep, just in the moment when Drogon flew by, spitting fire and burning them both to cinders... Jon and Arya were both holding the blades of their swords turned towards Cersei, while Ygritte aimed an arrow at her... -Cersei? - Jaime spoke behind her; she turned towards him, slowly, and saw him standing there, covered in blood from head to toe, the blade of his sword bloodied as well, and he had a deep gash across his chest that bled profusely... - Oh, Jaime - Cersei whispered lustfully and walked over to him with her arms spread like she was going to hug him. - I'm so sorry, Cersei - Jaime whispered and then his blade entered Cersei's belly and came out upwards, between her shoulder blades. - Jaime... - she gasped, and then her head fell backwards; she was dead. Jaime pulled her in the strong hug only then, and a tear fell down his cheek; they were like that when Drogon swooped over their heads in low flight and blew fire on them, turning them into a small pile of ash... - Come on! - Jon told Ygritte and Arya, and they followed him to the Red Keep, where they saw Daenerys flying towards on Drogon's back...


	24. Ygritte's Trial

Ygritte, Jon and Arya walked inside the half destroyed Red Keep, right in the moment when Daenerys sat down onto the Iron Throne, Drogon lying behind it... - I saw one of your dragons burning a group of innocent smallfolk, mostly women and children, before, while you flew over the city in a low swoop. Why did you do that? They were not soldiers! - Jon said exasperatedly. - They were Cersei's servants, therefore my enemies - Daenerys Targaryen replied coolly and with no hint of emotion - I would gladly burn all of King's Landing if that meant that there will be no those who would try to disrupt my rule over the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. I was meant to rule and I will... With fire and blood! - she replied. - Please, Dany - Jon begged - you are the Queen of all the Kingdoms except the North, since we decided to declare our independence. You don't need to do that... - Hold your tongue! - Daenerys snapped - I'm through talking to you and your Wildling Queen in the North; by all rights, you two should not even have the right to rule, but I should! - She arose from the Throne and walked towards the front of the Throne Room, towards the door that led out of it; Drogon walked out of his resting spot from behind the Throne and Daenerys climbed onto him and sat, grabbing his scales... Slowly, he expanded his wings and arose in the air, the flapping of his wings deafening everything else, every other sound, be it the painful screams of wounded and dying men coming from outside, the cracking of fires that still burned across the city of whatever else it could have been... Drogon floated in the air, just above the hole in the wall near the ceiling in the spot between the Throne and the door that led inside; just before the dragon was to take off into the flight over the rooftops and battlements of the ruined city, Ygritte pulled an arrow from her quiver, put it on the bowstring, pulled and aimed... A moment later she released the arrow, and it imbedded itself into the left side of Daenerys' back, just below her left shoulder blade and straight into the heart... Daenerys Targaryen fell off of Drogon's back, her body went from the great height towards the dust covered streets of Kings Landing, spinning in the air while she fell down... Jon looked at her once and then he left the Throne Room, while a few of the Unsullied, led by Grey Worm, ran inside a few minutes later, armed with their usual spears and shields... When they entered, Grey Worm yelled at Ygritte to drop her bow, in the broken form of the Common Tongue that the Westerosi spoke all over the continent, and then he walked over to her and took her dagger out of her sheath, and motioned for two of his soldiers to grab her arms and then they led her outside of the Throne Room, Grey Worm walking in front, Ygritte right in front of him in the middle of the small column, two Unsullied guards that held her arms being on the left and right of her, and the remaining few Unsullied behind her back, the tips of their spears aimed at her, Grey Worm carrying her dagger and bow which he picked up from the floor a few moments ago...

************

Jon, Arya, Tormund, ser Davos, Gendry, Bronze Yohn, lord Glover, Bran in his wheelchair and Robin Arryn were sitting on the small stone platform in the Dragon Pit of King's Landing, a relic from the time three centuries ago when the Targaryen rule over the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros was at its peak... All of them looked up with interest and concern as Grey Worm appeared with several of his soldiers, two of them holding the disarmed Ygritte between them, while the rest of them had the tips of their spears aimed at her... - What is this? - Jon arose from his chair, putting his hand onto the hilt of Longclaw - why is my wife, the Queen in the North, deprived of her weapons and led in here like a common brigand? - Ygritte Stark killed our Queen - Grey Worm spoke in his deep, accentuated voice - she cannot go free. - You are a brave one, boy - Tormund spoke - daring to lay your hands on a spearwife of the Free Folk and the Queen in the North... - You don't get to decide what happens to her! - Grey Worm yelled at Tormund, enraged. - I, as her husband, think that she deserves a chance to fight one-on-one with the strongest and bravest warrior among the Unsullied - Jon spoke to Grey Worm - which one of you fits those traits? - he asked. - I do - Grey Worm replied. - All right, then, it will be the duel to the death between the two of you - Jon declared - you two will fight with daggers, no additional weapons, no assistants in the case one of you or both cannot continue the fight due to your wounds. If you die first, Torgo Nudho, then Ygritte is to be freed of any and all responsibility concerning the death of your Queen; if she dies, then she paid for what she has had done with the iron price, as we in the North have a saying... Let Trial By Combat begin! - Jon said loudly, and the two Unsullied guards let go of Ygritte's arms; Grey Worm tossed her her dagger and gave her bow to Jon to guard, and then he unsheathed his own dagger... The two combatants circled each other, Grey Worm held his dagger at the ready, with its blade turned upwards and the tip aimed at Ygritte's upper body; she, on the other hand, held the blade vertically in front of her... Grey Worm made a stabbing motion, but Ygritte deflected his blow and swung her blade; it grazed the shoulder of the Unsullied commander, a tiny gash that bled slightly; first blood has had been drawn... Next, it was Ygritte's move; she made a cut across Grey Worm's torso, a cut that went from his right collarbone to his left hip, and then one horizontal cut across his chest, but all of them slight, surface gashes, nothing that could have had made him lose too much blood... In retaliation, Grey Worm swung his dagger across Ygritte's abdomen, making a slight cut across her upper belly muscles, much like the one she made on his shoulder. However, his moves slowed down, mayhaps it was because she wounded him a bit more than he did her, and so Ygritte seized the chance when Grey Worm accidentally exposed his left side to her too much, and she lunged and stabbed his ribcage on the surface, her blade entering his body but not enough to endanger his life; Grey Worm gasped and fell, bleeding profusely but, as I have said, it was only a surface wound, not reaching his lungs or heart, so he was to stay alive after his wound heals. The two of his soldiers ran over to him to lift him from the ground and look for someone who will make him heal... - Ygritte Stark has won this duel - he whispered and looked at her - she and Jon Stark are free to go. - He fell asleep while the other Unsullied carried him away... Jon and Arya went over to Ygritte, and he hugged his wife first, and then it was Arya's turn to hug her best friend... Ygritte had her wounds wrapped in a cloth that night at the Red Keep, and she, Jon and Arya were to sleep the night over in there before the dawn on the morrow...


	25. Heartfelt Farewells

A couple of days later, sometime after the rising of dawn Jon, Arya, Ygritte, Tormund, ser Davos and Gendry were standing in the Beggar's Gate harbor of King's Landing; the Unsullied were slowly boarding the galleys that previously belonged to the Golden Company, and they were to sail to Naath, as per Grey Worm's orders; he wanted to honor the memory of his late girlfriend by paying a visit to the island from where she hailed... His wounds from the duel with Ygritte healed well, and he felt strong enough to travel; he watched Jon and the others with a disapproving frown on his face, although Ygritte won the duel fairly and with honor, and it would be wrong not to give her her freedom back; she earned it with honor, he thought... The anchors were lifted from the water, slowly, and then the galleys started moving away from the stone docks, slowly, and out into the open sea... - Let's go - Jon said to Ygritte, Tormund and Arya - it's time for us to leave King's Landing and go back to the North. - Ygritte and Tormund took steps, but Arya remained standing there, looking towards the open sea for a moment or two... - Arya? - Jon looked towards her, and Ygritte did the same as well. - I'm not going back North with you and Ygritte - she replied. - Where will you go? - Jon asked. - What's west of Westeros? - Arya asked back. - I don't know - Jon replied. - No one knows - Arya said - it's where all the maps stop. - You have your Needle? - Jon asked, his eyes becoming wet with tears... - Right here - Arya whispered, her voice cracking slightly, her eyes tearing up as well. - I'll miss you, little sister - Jon whispered, hugging her; she hugged him back, buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed loudly; Ygritte, standing a bit to the side so as not to spoil the siblings saying goodbye to each other, had tears running down her cheeks as well, wondering if she will see her best friend ever again... Jon and Arya came apart a few minutes later, and they looked at each other for a moment. - May the Old Gods and the New watch over you, Arya - Jon spoke, holding her around the shoulders at arm's length. - And may the Gods watch over you too, Jon and Ygritte - she replied, walking over to the Queen in the North, and the two of them exchanged a brief hug. - Take care, Arya - Ygritte whispered - I hope we'll see each other again one day. - Arya nodded, turned her back on them and went up the plank onto the deck of the large galley that had a direwolf's head carved on the bow and a large sail bearing the embroidered sigil of House Stark on it. The captain pulled the boarding plank away from the dock, lifted the anchor, and the galley started taking distance from the harbor, slowly going out towards the open sea; Jon and Ygritte stood there watching, his arm around her shoulders, for as long as the ship disappeared from their line of sight, and then they turned and left the docks...

************

The night was falling slowly over the barren landscape of the North when Jon, Ygritte and Tormund, riding on horsebacks, reached Castle Black. The gates were open for them by the two of the black brothers, out of the dozen of them that resided in Castle Black, they were everything of what the Night's Watch was made of at the time being; the rest of the people gathered there were of the Free Folk, several dozens of men in their prime, women, children and a few elders... Jon, Ygritte and Tormund rode into the courtyard and Jon asked that the brothers lift the wooden gate that led inside the tunnel through which the path was leading into the wilderness on the other side of the Wall, into the Beyond... The three leaders rode into the tunnel, followed by the remains of the Free Folk, and when they came out of the tunnel on the other side, Jon, Ygritte and Tormund got down from their saddles... Ygritte and Tormund were the first ones to grab each other in the strong hug; this was their farewell, the last goodbye of father and daughter. - May the Old Gods of the Forest be good t' ya, daughter - Tormund whispered, his eyes tearing - may ya rule a fair an' honorable Queen. Jon Stark is the best husband an' king ya could've asked for. - Old Gods be good, father - Ygritte whispered in a cracked voice, crying as well - you will make a good King-beyond-the-Wall, as good as Mance Rayder was, if no' better, and ya can always come t' Winterfell t' pay us a visit, I'm sure Jon will allow tha' - she turned to look at her husband, who nodded his affirmation. - There will always be a place for you in Winterfell, Tormund, whenever you wish to come and visit us - Jon said; Tormund just nodded shortly, and then he climbed into the saddle of his horse, and then he took the trot, the hooves of his horse kicking the frozen soil, lightly, and the Free Folk followed their new king into the wild... Jon and Ygritte led their horses inside the tunnel a moment before the gates closed behind Tormund and his entourage, and then they climbed back into the saddles and rode down the path, back into the training courtyard of Castle Black...


	26. Epilogue: The King And The Queen In The North Have Returned

Jon and Ygritte spent the night at Castle Black, and the next day on the late morrow Jon shook hands with the remaining few brothers of the Watch, and then he and Ygritte rode out of Castle Black and took direction towards Winterfell... After a few hours' ride, they arrived there mid-afternoon, and the two guards that stood in front of the gates opened them for their King and Queen, and so Jon and Ygritte Stark rode inside the courtyard, got down from the saddles, and the stableboy took their horses away, while maester Wolkan walked over to Jon, informing him that his brother Brandon, the Three Eyed Raven, has become Bran the Broken, the King of the Six Kingdoms, the First of his Name, and that Jon's best friend from the time they both served as the brothers of the Night's Watch, Samwell 'Sam' Tarly, became Bran's Maester, ser Davos Seaworth, the Onion Knight, became king Bran's Master of Ships, a former sellsword ser Bronn of Blackwater and Highgarden became his Captain of the Guard, while ser Brienne of Tarth and the late Tyrion Lannister's former squire, Podrick Payne, were the two members of king Bran's Kingsguard... Jon nodded and thanked the Maester, and then Jon and Ygritte intertwined their hands together and walked away from the courtyard, getting inside the stone walls of Castle Winterfell and down the hallway towards the Great Hall. Two servants opened the double doors that led inside for them, and then the two of them walked over to the table and sat down in their designated chairs... Two crowns lay on the rough wooden surface of the table, one for Jon and one for Ygritte, and they removed them from the table and put it on their heads... - Hail To The King And The Queen In The North! - one of the guards yelled, unsheathing his sword and getting down on one knee, and then the others followed his example. Jon looked to his left and right for a moment, noting with sadness that some of the chairs on both sides from his and Ygritte's chairs will remain empty for all times that were to come, Sansa's chair for example, since she was one of the casualties in the Battle of Winterfell, and so was his friend Tyrion, The Imp of House Lannister; Jon felt a great pang of sadness because of their passing and that of his maternal uncle Eddard 'Ned' Stark a couple of years ago... In the next moment, he cast a loving look to his wife and Queen, Ygritte Stark of the Free Folk, and he smiled at her, and then they exchanged a loving kiss... Outside, on the battlements of Castle Winterfell, two banners were fluttering in the cold Northern wind; the sigil of House Stark, dark grey direwolf's head on dirty-white-and-light-green background, and a white skull of the woolen mammoth on dark blue background, a sigil of the Free Folk beyond the Wall, in honor of Queen Ygritte Stark's origin...

THE END


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